Richard Simmons, the fitness guru, died on July 13, 2023, just one day after his 76th birthday. His death appears to be from natural causes. Folks have a broad range of opinions about him, but no one can deny that Simmons helped a lot of people during his life. RIP
First I read he had fallen in bathroom - the day before - and refused being checked out . Caretaker found him next morning in the floor. Then today I ran something that insinuated a bit of foul play maybe. Who knows
There was no cause of death that I could find when I first posted this. Now I read that they are waiting for "test results" to come back...this could take up to 6 months. He had not been seen in public for over a decade, and phoned in an interview in 2016 (which he only did to debunk rumors that his housekeeper was holding him hostage.) No foul play is suspected. Once again, I am so grateful for my low key blue collar life.
When one dies must be written in a book somewhere. All I know is, lots of folks around my age are dropping like flies! Watch out!
A whole lot of people have died who are younger than me and much wealthier, so I might think they could afford better healthcare than I can. In a few years, if I'm still around, I will have outlived a fitness guru, so perhaps I should feel good about that.
It's a great possibility Richard has been suffering ill health for years. We don't know, he chose to leave the spotlight. Maybe he didn't keep up with his own regimens any longer. Besides, he was 76. That's old. Most men are dead already. He died because he was old. We are expecting too much re: life spans. IMO
Giving credit to Jack LaLanne for his part in bringing the fitness scene to America via television, Richard Simmons was sort of the father of aerobic exercise which brought a whole new aspect that hadn’t been previously explored. After Simmons started his show, the results of his style of aerobic exercise became so popular that exercise studios started springing up everywhere and gyms were converting some space for aerobic classes. I guess in its very essence, Simmons single handedly started a new culture that has found its way throughout the world. Without any real research, I’d guess that health via exercise / aerobics has become a trillion dollar industry and we can thank the likes of LaLanne and Simmons in particular for opening those doors. R. Simmons left behind a grand legacy but isn’t it ironic that after his success was realized and millions of people jumped on the aerobic bandwagon that the United States is the most obese country in the world. RIP Richard. You tried.