Richard Simmons was a one-of-a-kind man whose energy and big heart could not be matched. For decades, he made this world a happier, more confident place through his gym, classes, fitness videos, and public persona. It was his life's mission to help people be their healthiest. He died on July 13, 2024, at the age of 76.
Richard died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected. His body was found by a housekeeper. According to TMZ, he had a fall the day before his death, which also happened to be his birthday, and decided against getting medical attention.
He changed his name when he was a child.
The man we know and love as Richard was born Milton Teagle Simmons on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans. In third grade, he decided to change his moniker to sound more serious. He picked the name Richard to honor his uncle, who went on to pay for his college education.
He tried many other jobs before fitness.
Richard didn't immediately know fitness was his calling. After high school, he spent two years studying at a Dominican seminary in Iowa. He also tried out medicine but wasn't a big fan of dead people and blood. He briefly worked as a cosmetics executive and fashion illustrator as well.
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Richard struggled with his weight.
Part of the reason Richard was able to help so many people is he understood weight loss on a personal level. He began overeating as a child because he believed his parents loved his brother more than him. This followed him into adulthood. At his heaviest, he weighed 268 pounds.
A stranger’s words changed his life.
Richard studied abroad in Italy. While in the land of pasta and pizza, a stranger left a note on his car. It read in part: "Fat people die. Please don't die, Richard." This caused Richard to make a series of big life changes.
He struggled with eating disorders.
While the anonymous message was a turning point in Richard's life, its immediate impact was not positive. It scared him. He moved to California and became anorexic. For two months he only ate lettuce and drank water. He lost 137 pounds but not in a healthy manner. He ended up in the hospital and began losing his hair.
This was not the first time Richard struggled with an eating disorder. "I have eating disorders, I can't lie about that," he told talk show host Wendy Williams in 2011. "I've always talked about that. I took diet pills, I threw up, I starved, I thought that people would like me better if I were thin — since I was a kid."
He had asthma and David Letterman once triggered an attack.
At the height of his fame, Richard was a frequent guest on The Late Show With David Letterman. This changed in 2000 when David did a bit where he sprayed Richard with a fire extinguisher. This triggered a serious asthma attack, during which Richard struggled to breathe and emergency medical personnel were called. It took Richard six years to forgive David and appear on the show again.
He was a soap star.
Early in his career, one of Richard's breakthrough moments was appearing on the soap opera General Hospital. He began on the series in 1979 and played himself for four seasons. In 2013, he came back to the show for a couple of episodes to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
One of his costars, Lynn Herring, remembers him fondly. "When Richard walked on our General Hospital stage it would sizzle with his life force, his wicked sense of humor, his joy of entertaining and his love for us all," she recalled when learning about his death.
He was a big Barbara Streisand fan.
He was such a fan of Babs that he once bought her a diamond ring from Tiffany's, even though the pair had never met. He told David Letterman he was moved to make the gesture because "she's inspired me for 30 years." The diva returned it. Richard was still a fan even after that.
He loved Dalmatians and disliked restaurants.
Being a public figure wasn’t always easy. Richard avoided restaurants because people would be too interested in what he was ordering. The same concept applied to grocery stores. Strangers would ask him to help them read labels.
He did find companionship with his dogs. He owned many Dalmatians over the years and named them all after characters from Gone with the Wind. When he traveled, he would call the pooches and sing to them on the phone.
He didn’t announce his retirement.
In 2014, Richard stopped making public appearances. He never formally announced his retirement. This caused people to speculate and one theory was Richard was being held hostage by his housekeeper. Richard did an audio only interview on The Today Show to quash the rumor.
In 2017, the Los Angeles Police Department conducted a welfare check on the star and he was also deemed OK. His withdrawal from public life was the subject of a 2018 podcast by Dan Taberski called Missing Richard Simmons.
In 1981 Richard may have foreshadowed his desire to be a hermit. "The day I don’t love any of this, I’ll walk away," he mused to People.
