Richard Simmons’ long-time housekeeper Teresa reveals suspected cause of death – says fitness guru looked ‘peaceful’ when he died at 76

Teresa Reveles, Richard Simmons‘ housekeeper and friend of nearly 36 years, has shared memories of the late fitness icon as she broke her silence following his death at age 76.  

Reveles recalled meeting the fitness legend in 1986 after finding work for him through an agency in an interview with People. 

‘I can’t stop crying. I still can’t believe what happened,’ a crying Reveles told People in an interview done several days after Simmons’ funeral. When the outlet asked if she would prefer to talk another time, she insisted, ‘No, I want to celebrate Richard. He died happy.’

Reveles was the one who found Simmons after his passing. She found him in his bedroom and suspects he died from a heart attack as his hands were balled up into fists.  

‘When I saw him, he looked peaceful,’ she said. ‘That’s why I know it was a heart attack. I had a heart attack a few years ago, and my hands did the same.’ 

On the morning of his birthday, Reveles remembers Simmons telling her after he suffered a fall: ‘Teresa, I can’t go down, my legs hurt a lot.’

She recalls replying: ‘Let’s go to the hospital. Maybe you broke your leg.’

‘No, Teresa. Not on my birthday. Why we don’t wait and we do it in the morning,’ she recalls him replying.

‘But in the morning it was too late,’ Reveles said.

In her People profile, she corrects misconceptions that she was his housekeeper and described herself as Simmons’ ‘companion.’ 

‘His housekeeper is someone else, she’s worked here for 40 years,’ she explained. ‘August 9th is our 36th anniversary,’ she added.

When Reveles first met Simmons, she recalled the prediction he made about their friendship after she arrived to his home with a small amount of belongings. 

‘I showed up in here and Richard says to me, “Where are your clothes? Where is your big suitcase?” I said, “I just bring the little suitcase because I only try this for two weeks. If you don’t like me or you don’t like my cooking, then I can’t work,”‘ she said.

‘Teresa, come in, you are never going to leave. We are going to be together until I die.’

‘And you know what? His dream came true. He knew somehow.’

She also recalled the pranks he would pull on her: ‘If I was in the kitchen and then I come into the living room, he would hide and jump out, being so loud that he would scare me to death. I’d start screaming, “Richard, you almost killed me!”‘ But Richard would merely laugh and reply, ‘Teresa, almost doesn’t count.’

Simmons passed on July 13 – just one day after his 76th birthday. 

Reveles recalled meeting the fitness legend in 1986 after finding work for him through an agency in an interview with People; Simmons pictured in 2013 

Simmons’ preliminary cause of death has since been revealed by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

It was announced via a statement that Simmons had died of ‘apparent natural causes.’

‘On July 13, 2024, at 9:55 AM, the LAFD responded to a Suspected Death Incident at the 1300 block of N Belfast Drive,’ LAFD Captain Erik Scott told Entertainment Tonight.

‘Upon arrival, one rescue ambulance discovered a 76-year-old male who was pronounced deceased on-scene by firefighter/paramedics due to apparent natural causes. As a result, no hospital transport was necessary,’ he concluded.

Although a preliminary cause of death is now available, it’s not the final word on how Simmons died, as the matter is currently being probed by the Los Angeles Police Department. 

Police officials confirmed to People that the fitness expert’s death at his home in Los Angeles was under further examination, and that the case had been deferred by the Medical Examiner’s Office, which calls for a further probe and tests to be conducted, according to the outlet.

The examination can span as long as three months until an official ruling is issued, the outlet reported. 

There was reportedly no foul play involved in his death. ‘The LAPD are not pursuing the investigation as if foul play was involved at this point,’ a law enforcement source told PEOPLE earlier this month. 

Richard, pictured 2013, was interred at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary

Last week, he was laid to rest and his grave was heaped with pink roses in exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail.com.

His staff took to X on July 20 to share Simmons’ last photo – which showed the star with gray hair and wearing an orange, Nasa uniform.

‘From Richard’s staff: Hello everyone, Richard worked very hard on his posts for you,’ they began.

‘He had many ideas and would work ahead… going back to each one making changes until he had it just like he wanted before posting.’

His staff continued, ‘As you know, on the weekends, he would just share a photo with a caption. He always chose his photos and wrote his captions for the upcoming weekend by Friday.’

‘So we have the post Richard planned to share with you last Sunday. We thought you’d want to see it.’

Simmons had been working with Teresa since 1986; pictured 1982 

In the final section of the post on X, the fitness guru’s staff added, ‘Here is the post Richard had planned for you for Sunday July 14, 2024.’

Richard could be seen striking a pose with graying hair while wearing a vibrant, orange Nasa uniform and stood in front of a colorful wall.

The caption that he had planned to accompany the photo was, ‘Let me fly you to the moon so we can gaze among the stars. Love, Richard.’

In exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail.com earlier this month, the late star’s grave could be seen covered with pink roses after he was laid to rest.

Simmons was interred at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary, where stars including Kirk Douglas and Marilyn Monroe are buried.