Byline: Martha Ross, The Mercury News, (TNS)
The night before Richard Simmons was found dead in his West Hollywood, California, home, he took a fall in his bathroom but dismissed his housekeeper’s plea to seek medical attention because it was his birthday, TMZ is reporting.
Instead, the 76-year-old fitness guru and media personality told his housekeeper he’d consider going to see the doctor on Saturday, even though he reported feeling dizzy before his fall on Friday night, TMZ said, citing law enforcement sources. Simmons rejected his housekeeper’s suggestion to seek medical attention because he wanted to stay home on his birthday, July 12, TMZ said.
So, the housekeeper helped him into bed, TMZ said. She found him the next morning at 10 a.m., lying next to his bed unresponsive.
On Friday, the day Simmons fell, he posted a Facebook message, thanking friends and fans for sending him best wishes for his 76th birthday. His message read: “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. Love, Richard.”
Simmons also revealed his plans to celebrate his birthday in a rare interview, which took place the day before he died. He told People by phone that he probably wouldn’t have a cake: “The candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian.”
Reflecting on turning 76, Simmons also said, “I feel good! I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day. I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”
In recent years, Simmons led a reclusive life, a stark departure from the high-profile media career he once enjoyed, where he preached a lifestyle of health and fitness to global audiences after struggling with weight issues through his childhood and teen years.
Simmons’ own story of struggling with weight loss, where he tried everything from fad diets to laxatives, inspired millions of others to follow his example and adopt healthy lifestyle choices. He became famous while hosting the Richard Simmons Show in the 1980s. He also wrote bestselling books, opened exercise studios and starred in exercise videos, including the wildly successful Sweatin’ to the Oldies line. He additionally became known for his wide variety of other media appearances on other shows, including Late Night with David Letterman or The Howard Stern Show. He hosted a Sirius Satellite radio show in the aughts.
Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014, though he kept in regular contact with fans and friends, telling People that he never disappeared. He also developed a presence on social media. Earlier this year, he revealed on Facebook that he’d been diagnosed with skin cancer, which was removed. “Basal cell carcinoma, it was scary. But it never came back,” he said. “So many people have cancer. I call them, I sing to them. ‘You’re gonna get through this. You just have to believe that.’”
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