Richard Simmons Dead at 76
Richard Simmons died on Saturday, July 13, at 76.
TMZ first reported the news of Simmons' death, with ABC News confirming the report, among other news outlets.
The fitness personality died at his home in Los Angeles, Calif., TMZ's local sources in law enforcement said. The unnamed sources told TMZ that Simmons’ housekeeper made an emergency call on Saturday morning. After personnel with the local police and fire departments arrived at Simmons’ home, he was pronounced dead.
A cause of death was not immediately made available to the public.
Simmons’ death was reported just one day after he celebrated his 76th birthday on Friday, July 12. In a memory-filled post on Facebook, Simmons shared a throwback photo from his first birthday celebration as he recalled some of the birthday cakes he had enjoyed through the years.
He also acknowledged the many fans who had posted about his birthday on social media, writing, “So many of you have sent me birthday wishes on my Facebook and other platforms. I really appreciate that. I don’t know when your birthday is but I wish you a happy and healthy birthday!”
Later on Friday, Simmons shared another post in response to the volume of birthday wishes he had received, a number that seemingly left him in awe.
“Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday,” he wrote before signing his post, “Love, Richard.”
The former The Richard Simmons Show host rose to fame in the 1980s as he released exercise videos amid the decade’s aerobic fitness craze. Known for his positive and high-energy onscreen personality, Simmons went on to make several TV appearances in the decades that followed.
While Simmons mostly stayed out of the public eye in recent years, he provided fans with a rare health update earlier this year when he revealed that he was battling skin cancer. The fitness guru told fans that his dermatologist had diagnosed him with basal cell carcinoma after assessing a spot near one of Simmons’ eyes.
