Richard Simmons dead at age 76 just a day after celebrating his birthday & saying he was ‘glad to be alive’
LEGENDARY fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76.
Simmons was found dead at his home early Saturday morning, TMZ reported.
First responders arrived at his house at 10 am Saturday, where they pronounced him dead, TMZ confirmed with police.
Simmons died of natural causes, police believe.
Law enforcement told the outlet that the fitness instructor fell last night, which they suspect is connected to his death.
Simmons celebrated his 76th birthday Friday night and posted on Facebook thanking his fans.
“Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life,” Simmons wrote.
“I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday!”
During an interview with People ahead of his birthday, Simmons said, “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.”
Simmons chose to step back from the public eye in 2014 but shared a rare Facebook post last year announcing the state of his health and encouraging fans to lead healthy lives.
“I have some news to tell you,” the fitness instructor wrote.
“Please don’t be sad. I am… dying. Oh I can see your faces now.
“The truth is we are all dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.
“Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life and to the fullest every single day.
“Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.”
Simmons’ concerning posts scared fans, leading many of them to reach out and ask how he was doing.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” he posted on X last year.
In a follow-up post, the fitness instructor elaborated on his claim that he was “dying.”
After noticing a bump on his skin, Simmons went to a dermatologist to check it out.
“He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. ‘You have cancer.’ I asked him what kind of cancer and he said Basel Cell Carcinoma,” he wrote.
“The reason I wrote these two messages is that if you see a spot on your body please go to your doctor …so they can diagnose it right away.”
Simmons was known for his flamboyant personality and series of aerobics videos.
In 1974, the media personality opened up his own fitness studio comically titled ‘Slimmons.’
After opening the studio, he became the star of his own show The Richard Simmons Show, which ran from 1980 to 1984.
The star continued to make media appearances on television and radio shows, such as The Late Show With David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.
Despite his years of public notoriety, the fitness influencer stepped out of the spotlight in 2014.
Although he hasn’t made any public appearances then, he has occasionally posted on social media.
In what must have been a pre-scheduled post on Facebook, Simmons wrote “Hello gorgeous! Please don’t rain on my parade.”
Fans flooded his comments, expressing their condolences for his family and how much he will be missed.