Richard Simmons, television香蕉视频直播檚 hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday. He turned 76 on Friday.
Los Angeles police and fire departments say they responded to a Los Angeles house where a man was declared dead from natural causes. Neither provided a name, but The Associated Press matched the address and age to Simmons through public records.
TMZ was first to report his death, which has also been reported by other outlets citing unnamed Simmons representatives.
Simmons, who had revealed a skin diagnosis in March 2024, had lately dropped out of sight, sparking speculating about his health and well-being.
Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who shared his hard-won weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime 香蕉视频直播淩ichard Simmons Show,香蕉视频直播� author of best-selling books and the diet plan Deal-A-Meal, as well as opening exercise studios and starring in millions of exercise videos, including the successful 香蕉视频直播淪weatin香蕉视频直播� to the Oldies香蕉视频直播� line.
香蕉视频直播淢y food plan and diet are just two words 香蕉视频直播� common sense. With a dash of good humor,香蕉视频直播� he told The Associated Press in 1982. 香蕉视频直播淚 want to help people and make the world a healthier, happy place.香蕉视频直播�
Simmons embraced mass communication to get his message out, even as he eventually became the butt of jokes for his outfits and flamboyant flair. He was a guest on TV shows led by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Phil Donahue. But David Letterman would prank him and Howard Stern would tease him until he cried. He was mocked in Neil Simon香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Goodbye Girl香蕉视频直播� on Broadway in 1993, and Eddie Murphy put on white makeup and dressed like him in 香蕉视频直播淭he Nutty Professor,香蕉视频直播� screaming 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 a pony!香蕉视频直播�
Asked if he thought he could motivate people by being silly, Simmons answered, 香蕉视频直播淚 think there香蕉视频直播檚 a time to be serious and a time to be silly. It香蕉视频直播檚 knowing when to do it. I try to have a nice combination. Being silly cures depression. It catches people off guard and makes them think. But in between that silliness is a lot of seriousness that makes sense. It香蕉视频直播檚 a different kind of training.香蕉视频直播�
Simmons香蕉视频直播� daytime show was seen on 200 stations in America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. His first book, 香蕉视频直播淣ever Say Diet,香蕉视频直播� was a smash best seller.
He was known to counsel the severely obese, including Rosalie Bradford, who held records for being the world香蕉视频直播檚 heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons for helping him lose 700 pounds. Simmons put real people 香蕉视频直播� chubby, balding or non-telegenic 香蕉视频直播� in his exercise videos to make the fitness goals seem reachable.
Throughout his career, Simmons was a reliable critic of fad diets, always emphasizing healthy eating and exercise plans. 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檒l always be some weird thing about eating four grapes before you go to bed, or drinking a special tea, or buying this little bean from El Salvador,香蕉视频直播� he told the AP in 2005 as the Atkins diet craze swept the country. 香蕉视频直播淚f you watch your portions and you have a good attitude and you work out every day you香蕉视频直播檒l live longer, feel better and look terrific.香蕉视频直播�
Simmons was a native of New Orleans, a chubby boy named Milton by his parents. (He renamed himself 香蕉视频直播淩ichard香蕉视频直播� around the age of 10 to improve his self-image). He would tell people he ate to excess because he believed his parents liked his older brother more. He was teased by schoolmates and ballooned to almost 200 pounds.
Simmons told the AP his mother watched exercise guru Jack LaLanne香蕉视频直播檚 TV show religiously when he was growing up, but he wasn香蕉视频直播檛 crazy about the fitness fanatic. 香蕉视频直播淚 hated him,香蕉视频直播� Simmons said. 香蕉视频直播淚 wasn香蕉视频直播檛 ready for his message because he was fit and he was healthy and he had such a positive attitude, and I was none of those things.香蕉视频直播�
Simmons went to Italy as a foreign exchange student and ended up doing peanut butter commercials and bacchanalian eating scenes for director Federico Fellini in his film 香蕉视频直播淔ellini Satyricon.香蕉视频直播� He told the AP: 香蕉视频直播淚 was fat, had curly hair. The Italians thought I was hysterical. I was the life of the party.香蕉视频直播�
His life changed after getting an anonymous letter. 香蕉视频直播淥ne dark, rainy day I went to my car and found a note. It said, 香蕉视频直播楧ear Richard, you香蕉视频直播檙e very funny, but fat people die young. Please don香蕉视频直播檛 die.香蕉视频直播� He was so stunned that he went on the starvation diet that left him thin but very ill.
After the crash diet he gained back 65 pounds. Eventually, he was able to devise a sensible plan to take off the pounds and keep them off. 香蕉视频直播淚 went into the business because I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 find anything I liked,香蕉视频直播� he said.
When Simmons hadn香蕉视频直播檛 been seen in public for several years, some news outlets speculated that he was being held hostage in his own house. In telephone interviews with 香蕉视频直播淓ntertainment Tonight香蕉视频直播� and the 香蕉视频直播淭oday香蕉视频直播� show, Simmons refuted the claims and told his fans he was enjoying the time by himself. Filmmaker-writer Dan Taberski, one of his regular students, launched a podcast in 2017 called 香蕉视频直播淢issing Richard Simmons.香蕉视频直播�
In 2022, Simmons broke his six-year silence, with his spokesperson telling The New York Post that the beloved fitness icon was 香蕉视频直播渓iving the life he has chosen.香蕉视频直播�
___ Mark Kennedy is at
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Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio and Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
