Richard Simmons, legendary fitness personality, dies at 76

Health guru Richard Simmons has died, two legislation enforcement sources confirmed to NBC Information.

Simmons was discovered unresponsive Saturday at his Hollywood Hills residence, sooner or later after his 76th birthday, the legislation enforcement sources stated. The precise reason behind his demise is pending.

On Friday, Simmons shared a message on social media thanking followers for the birthday needs.

“Thanks…I by no means acquired so many messages about my birthday in my life!” Simmons wrote. “I’m sitting right here writing emails. Have a most lovely remainder of your Friday.”

He signed the publish “Love, Richard.”

Simmons, the health coach identified for his eccentric character and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” exercise movies, rose to fame within the Seventies and Nineteen Eighties after opening a lot of gyms and releasing dozens of health movies.

His web site describes him as “one of many world’s most revered and iconic health personalities” who has been an “teacher and motivator for over 40 years.”

“By delivering a critical message together with his trademark humor, he has helped hundreds of thousands of chubby women and men lose greater than 3,000,000 kilos by adopting wise, balanced consuming packages and train regimes which might be energetic, enjoyable and motivating,” a biography for Simmons on his web site reads.

Simmons grew up in New Orleans and weighed 268 kilos when he graduated highschool, in line with his web site, which added that he “took management of his weight” by altering his way of life to incorporate average consuming and train.

From there, he took his skills to the West coast, transferring to Los Angeles in 1973, the place he was unable to discover a fitness center that “wasn’t for individuals who had been already in form,” in line with his web site. So, Simmons took it upon himself to create one, and SLIMMONS in Beverly Hills was opened in 1974.

It was at SLIMMONS the place he taught lessons and hosted seminars till 2013, his web site stated. His success additionally led to his personal nationally syndicated collection, “The Richard Simmons Present,” which ran for 4 years and earned a number of Emmy awards.

Simmons additionally launched 65 health movies over the course of his life, which bought over 20 million copies, and authored 9 books and three cookbooks, in line with his web site.

Simmons had been one thing of a recluse since 2014, and in January, he spoke out towards an upcoming biopic being made about his life starring actor and comic Pauly Shore, which Simmons stated he by no means permitted. 

“I’ve by no means given my permission for his film. So don’t consider all the pieces you learn,” he wrote on Fb on the time. “I now not have a supervisor, and I now not have a publicist. I simply attempt to stay a quiet life and be peaceable. Thanks for all of your love and help.”

Since that publish, Simmons has been energetic on social media, typically writing motivational messages and sharing tales about moments and other people in his life. The posts have ranged in matter from his childhood in New Orleans to racial segregation to health and his household.

His demise comes simply months after he posted a cryptic social media message, writing “I’m ….dying,.” He later walked it again, however the subsequent day, he shared that he had been identified with pores and skin most cancers.

Within the March 18 social media publish, he wrote that he had “information” to share.

“Please don’t be unhappy. I’m ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The reality is all of us are dying. Daily we stay we’re getting nearer to our demise,” Simmons wrote.

“Why am I telling you this? As a result of I need you to get pleasure from your life to the fullest each single day,” he continued within the publish. “Stand up within the morning and have a look at the sky… rely your blessings and revel in.”

The remainder of the publish included strategies on the way to lead a wholesome way of life and reminders to hug those you like.

Later that day, he posted one other replace clarifying he was not dying.

“Sorry a lot of you’ve got gotten upset about my message in the present day. Even the press has gotten in contact with me. I’m not dying,” he wrote. “It was a message about saying how we should always embrace day-after-day that now we have.”

The subsequent day, he shared that he had been identified with Basal Cell Carcinoma, a sort of pores and skin most cancers.

The day after that, he shared in one other social media publish that the problem was resolved after three procedures with a “most cancers physician,” Dr. Ralph A. Massey.

It was not instantly clear if Simmons’ current pores and skin most cancers analysis had something to do together with his demise.