Richard Simmons' brother had a secret to share at the late fitness guru's celebration of life ceremony, which was held at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Saturday, October 5, 2024. Richard was known for his energetic, encouraging Sweatin' to the Oldies video series and his signature workout attire. At the ceremony, his brother, Lenny Simmons, revealed that Richard was buried in his iconic workout gear.
"Just like Clark Kent, underneath his beautiful things that he was wearing, his clothing, [Richard] is wearing a tank top and shorts," Lenny said, reported Entertainment Weekly.
Lenny explained the reason why Richard was buried in workout clothes. "Why, you ask? Because we think that God has another plan for him and we want to make sure that he was going to be in his normal costume that we all know and love, to help the saints and the angels get into shape," Lenny shared with the crowd, per Entertainment Weekly.
"So I'm here to say to you that even though he's not here — and I know he's in spirit here tonight — Richard Simmons will forever be sweating with the Holies,” Lenny continued, per a video shared by TMZ.
Lenny also spoke about Richard's "happy childhood" and his career. Per Good Morning America, Richard's path toward becoming a fitness instructor was not exactly linear.
More from LittleThings: Richard Simmons' Autopsy Revealed The Fitness Guru Had Multiple Injuries At Time Of Death
Initially, Richard wanted to be a Catholic priest, Lenny said, per Good Morning America. He later changed his mind and worked as a waiter and an actor before discovering his true passion and purpose.
"At the age of 26, Richard Simmons finally knew what God wanted him to do. He wanted Richard to help people, motivate people, encourage people to get healthy and lose weight and get fit and have fun doing it," Lenny said, according to the outlet.
Richard died on July 13, 2024, the day after his 76th birthday. He was found unresponsive that morning, and according to his autopsy report, he died due to injuries from a fall, with "arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease" also listed as a contributing factor.
The night before his birthday, Richard experienced "an episode of dizziness" that caused him to fall, but he wanted to wait until the day after his birthday to see a doctor.
Richard reportedly wanted to spend his birthday at home. He spent his birthday in bed, then was found unresponsive the next morning.
In an interview just before his death, Richard told People that he never saw himself as a celebrity.
"I never lived a celebrity life. I never thought of myself as a celebrity. People don't know this, I'm really a shy person and a little bit of an introvert," he told the publication. "But when that curtain goes up that's a different story. I'm there to make people happy."
When fans would contact him, he would remind them that he was an ordinary person just like them. "I mean, today most probably, we'll answer over 100 emails. And they'll say, 'I'm your No. 1 fan,'" he explained. "And I just write back, and I say, you know, 'Don't say that because I'm a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too.'"
