Richard Simmons Dead at Age 76: Fitness Guru Found at Home

Richard Simmons is dead at age 76.

Simmons’ housekeeper called authorities on Saturday, July 13, at around 10:00 a.m. PST, according to TMZ. The outlet reported that police responded to the call that morning and pronounced Simmons unresponsive at the scene. He was later pronounced dead. Simmons’ death is being looked at as natural and no foul play is suspected.

On Friday, July 12, Simmons had shared several posts on social media and thanked fans for their birthday wishes.

“Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday. Love, Richard,” Simmons wrote via his public Facebook page.

Simmons became a pop culture icon thanks to his time in the ‘70s and ‘80s as an energetic fitness instructor with boundless amounts of energy. His popularity eventually landed him a recurring role on General Hospital where he played himself. Simmons went on to make appearances in several game shows like Win, Lose or Draw, Super Password, and more, but in 2014, he took a step back from the spotlight. His absence caught the public’s attention and rumors began to swirl regarding his whereabouts.

In 2016, people began to speculate that Simmons was being held hostage in his home by his housekeepers. The rumors became so prevalent that Simmons eventually spoke out about his decision to withdraw from the public eye.

“No one is holding me in my house as a hostage,” Simmons told Savannah Guthrie during an appearance on Today on March 14, 2016. “You know I do what I want to do as I’ve always done, so people should sort of just believe what I have to say because, like, I’m Richard Simmons!”

On March 19, Simmons revealed that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer after he noticed a blemish under his eye.

“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror,” Simmons wrote. “He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope. Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer. I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.”

The former aerobics instructor said that after three attempts, doctors were able to successfully remove the cancer.

“The reason I wrote these two messages is that if you see a spot on your body please go to your doctor … so they can diagnose it right away,” Simmons wrote in another post on March 21. “I guess I should be more careful about what I write about.”

A few days later, Simmons gave Closer an exclusive update about his health and his decision to live a more private life.

“I feel good. I have been through a lot,” Simmons said on March 24. “But now all I see are beautiful bright rainbows. Say hello to your viewers for me and thank them for their concern.”