Entertainment
Richard Simmons’ cause of death is under investigation
Richard Simmons.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicRichard Simmons‘The official cause of death is under investigation.
The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office has deferred a cause of death for Simmons while an investigation and additional testing are underway. People reported on Monday, July 15. Police told the outlet that “there is no foul play involved.”
The fitness legend died at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, July 13, just two days after his 76th birthday. He was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities and his death is believed to be from natural causes.
On the morning of Friday, July 12, Simmons shared a birthday message and sent a thank you to his fans Facebook.
Richard Simmons was a fitness legend starting in the 1970s. Simmons rose to fame as a pioneer with his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” aerobics workouts, which led him to launch his own fitness studio, Slimmons, until its closure in 2016. After Slimmons closed up shop for good, the weight-loss guru retreated from the spotlight, prompting indulged in rampant conspiracy theories […]
“So many of you have sent me birthday wishes on my Facebook and other platforms,” he wrote. “I really appreciate that. I don’t know when your birthday is, but I wish you a happy and healthy birthday!”
Simmons – who retired from the spotlight a decade ago – spoke candidly in a wide-ranging interview with People a few days before his death.
“How do you deal with loss? It takes a toll on your heart,” Simmons said. “Some shed a lot of tears, others stare at the sky. It’s so hard to say goodbye. This is what I know when it’s time to go: beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and a hello.
He said he knew people “missed” him and that he “missed them too.”
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024. Speed Racer star Christian Oliver (born Christian Klepser) died at the age of 51 in a fatal plane crash on January 5. Oliver was heading home from a Caribbean vacation with his two daughters — Madita and Annik, whom he shares with wife Jessica Klepser — on Jan. 4. […]
Although he remained ‘disguised’, Simmons still communicated with fans via phone calls and emails. “When I decided to retire, it was because my body was telling me to retire,” he said. “I’ve spent time thinking about my life. All the books I’ve written, the videos. I was never like, ‘Oh look what I did.’ My thing was, ‘Oh, look how many people I helped.’”
In March, Simmons was diagnosed with “scary.” basal cell carcinoma and had it removed from his body earlier this year.
“[The skin cancer] never came back. So many people have cancer,” he said. “I call them, I sing to them. ‘You will get through this. You just have to believe that. ”
