With his exuberant can-do spirit, Mr. Simmons appealed to a wide following to get moving with exercise videos like “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.”
Richard Simmons, who for years was the face of home fitness through his wildly popular videos and energetic personality, died on Saturday morning in Los Angeles. He was 76.
A representative for Mr. Simmons, Tom Estey, confirmed Mr. Simmons’s death.
The Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department responded to an address linked to Mr. Simmons at 10 a.m. on Saturday. A Fire Department spokesman said personnel at the scene determined he died of natural causes.
At his Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons, and in his videos and DVDs, Mr. Simmons exuded an enthusiastic can-do spirit to inspire people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving.
Mr. Simmons stretched and jumped in contrast to other fitness gurus of the 1980s, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who exuded movie-star looks and charm.
Mr. Simmons’s approach was perhaps more noticeable, and relatable, than his counterparts as he spoke directly to audiences in his aerobics videos.
One video features him clapping and singing in unison with students as they entered his studio.
“You’re actually inside my real exercise studio, ‘Slimmons,’ and these are my honest-to-goodness teachers,” he said, looking to the group around him.
In 2017, Mr. Simmons was the subject of a popular podcast, “Missing Richard Simmons,” which became a cultural phenomenon.
In March, Mr. Simmons said he had been treated for basal cell carcinoma, which he said first appeared as a “strange looking bump” under his eye.
This is a developing story.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
