World situation guru Richard Simmons dies at the age of 76

Los Angeles police and firefighters say they spoke to a location “whose address the AP has matched with Simmons through public records” where a man was pronounced dead of natural causes. Simmons, who had a skin test to watch in March 2024, has missed the mark in recent days, leading to speculation about his fitness and well-being. News of his death was first reported by TMZ.

Simmons was a 268-pound former teen who became an expert across multiple media genres, sharing his tough weight loss guidelines as host of the Emmy-winning Sunlight Hours “Richard Simmons Show” and author of best-selling books. . and nutrition plan Offer-a-Meal. He also opened workout studios and starred in workout videos, including the wildly hit “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” series, which became a cultural phenomenon.

“My meal plan and diet are just two words,” general meaning. With great humor,” he told The Associated Press in 1982. “I need to help the community and make the arena a more suitable, happier playground.”

Simmons embraced mass communication to get his message across, even as he eventually became the butt of jokes for his clothing and flamboyant nature. He was a popular guest on TV shows led by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Phil Donahue. But David Letterman would joke with him and Howard Stern would tease him until he cried. He was mocked in Neil Simon’s “The See You Later Woman” on Broadway in 1993, and Eddie Murphy wore white makeup and clothes like him in “The Nutty Tutor” and shouted, “I’m a pony !”

When asked if he felt he could inspire people by being silly, Simmons responded, “I think there’s a month to be serious and a month to be silly. It’s realizing when What to do. I strive for a pleasant totality. Fooling around is okay. It takes the community off guard and makes them think, but to some extent in the midst of that foolishness. It makes sense.

Simmons’ daytime show is seen on 200 stations in the US, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. Her first book, “Nutrition by No Means,” was a best-seller.

She was known for counseling severely obese people, including Rosalie Bradford, who held the record for being the world’s heaviest woman, and Michael Hebronco, who she helped her lose 700 pounds. Credit was given to Simmons for this. Simmons placed real people, “fat, balding or non-telegenic”, in his workout films to make the condition appear reachable.

Throughout his career, Simmons was a credible critic of fad diets, always emphasizing healthy eating and exercise plans. “There will always be something strange about eating four grapes before bed, or drinking a unique tea, or buying this little bean from El Salvador,” he told the AP in 2005 when the Atkins diet craze took off. Country. “If you monitor your organs and you have a good approach and you recognize each movement you will live longer, feel better and look amazing.”

Simmons was a native of New Orleans, a fat boy who was named Milton by his parents. (He changed his name to “Richard” at about age 10 to improve his self-image). He would tell people that he ate too much because he believed that his parents liked his older brother more. His schoolmates teased him and his weight increased to nearly 200 pounds.

Simmons told the AP that his mother avidly watched exercise guru Jack LaLanne’s TV show when he was growing up, but he was not a fitness fanatic. “I hated him,” Simmons said. “I wasn’t able to listen to his message because he was consistent and he was healthy and he had that attitude, and I had none of those problems.”

Simmons went to Italy as a foreign exchange student and did peanut butter commercials and bacchanalian dinner scenes for director Federico Fellini in his film “Fellini’s Satyricon.” He told the AP, “I was fat, had curly hair. Italians believed I was hysterical. I was the year of the birthday celebration.”

His life changed after receiving an anonymous letter. “I was in my car in the middle of a cloudy, rainy day and I found a note. It said, ‘Dear Richard, you’re very funny, but obese people die younger. Please don’t die.’ He was so traumatized that he began a starvation diet, leaving him thin but very ill.

After the crash diet, she gained 65 pounds back. Eventually, he was able to formulate a sensible plan to lose the pounds and keep them off. “I got into this business because I couldn’t find anything I liked,” he said.

When Simmons was not seen in public for several years, some news outlets speculated that he was being held hostage in his own home. In telephone interviews with the shows “Leisure This Night” and “Nowadays”, Simmons denied the claims and told his fans that he was enjoying the time alone. Filmmaker-writer Dan Tebarsky, one of his regular students, launched a podcast called “Lacking Richard Simmons” in 2017.

In 2022, Simmons broke her six-year silence, with her spokesperson telling the New York Post that the beloved fitness icon was “spending the year she has chosen.”

One of the online tributes following Simmons’ death was from actor-comedian Pauly Shore, who had previously developed an unauthorized biopic of Simmons, which Simmons objected to at the time.

“Like everyone else I was assured that the beautiful Richard Simmons has passed,” she began in an Instagram post. “I hope you’re having fun and shining in heaven,” he continued, adding, “You’ve been one of the best, Richard. An incredible year. An incredible story.”