Remembering Richard Simmons: a life of fitness, fun, and compassion | You

Tributes have poured in for Richard Simmons, who passed away at the weekend. (PHOTO: Getty Images / Gallo Images)

Richard Simmons, the 1980s fitness icon known for his tank tops and short shorts, died a day after he turned 76.

His housekeeper found him dead in the bathroom of his Los Angeles home on Saturday.

Richard’s brother, Lenny Simmons, said in a statement that he didn’t want people to be sad about his brother’s passing, as there was much to celebrate about the life he’d lived and the many lives he touched. 

“I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote, and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help. So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life.”

Richard never married or had children.

The day before his death Richard thanked fans for their birthday messages to him, in a Facebook post.

“Thank you… I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails.”

He told People magazine he planned to blow out candles for his birthday, “but the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian”, he joked. 

His cause of death has not yet been made public. 

Since 2014 Richard kept out of the public eye but remained active on social media. 

He unsettled fans earlier this year when he spoke about dying then reassured them that he wasn’t dying, but wanted to encourage people “to embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion”.

He went on to reveal that he had undergone treatment for skin cancer and was recovering from that.

In his heyday, Richard was known for making exercise and eating healthy fun, with his TV show workouts and books which made him a household name.

The fitness guru was known for his flamboyant style. (PHOTO: Getty Images / Gallo Images)

His fitness journey started when he was a young man, after being an overweight child who was bullied at school.

He said he overate because he believed his parents doted on his brother more. 

He decided to change his life after receiving an anonymous message. 

“One dark, rainy day I went to my car and found a note. It said, ‘Dear Richard, you’re very funny, but fat people die young. Please don’t die’.’’

At the time Richard was using unhealthy methods to lose weight, including starving himself, consuming large amounts of laxatives and throwing up after eating.

He knew this was causing more harm than good and he began reading up on clean eating and exercising. 

In 1975, he opened his first exercise studio in Beverly Hills, focusing on aerobics for overweight clients, as studios then, he said, were only interested in people who were already fit.

He advocated eating smaller portions and making exercise a fun activity. 

His first fitness TV show was the four-time Emmy-winning Richard Simmons Show which ran from 1980 to 1984, and he released several popular workout tapes and DVDs, the most famous of which was Sweatin’ to the Oldies. 

SOURCES: TMZ.COM, EDITION.CNN.COM, PEOPLE.COM, APNEWS.COM