{"id":2294202,"date":"2024-07-13T19:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T23:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-simmons-dies-just-one-day-after-birthday\/"},"modified":"2024-07-13T19:56:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T23:56:33","slug":"richard-simmons-dies-just-one-day-after-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-simmons-dies-just-one-day-after-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Simmons Dies, Just One Day After Birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frichard-simmons-dies-just-one-day-after-birthday%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2294202&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article provides a detailed \u2062obituary of Richard Simmons, a well-known <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arnold-schwarzenegger-involved-in-4-car-crash-in-los-angeles\/\" title=\"Arnold Schwarzenegger Involved in 4 Car Crash in Los Angeles\">fitness personality<\/a> \u2063who passed away at the age of 76. Simmons, who rose to\u200d fame through his energetic fitness routines and motivational messages, built a successful career in the industry. He hosted the Emmy-winning &#8220;Richard \u200bSimmons Show,&#8221; authored best-selling\u200c books, \u2064and created popular exercise videos such as &#8220;Sweatin&#8217; to \u200bthe Oldies.&#8221; Simmons was also known for his advocacy for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joy-multiplier-vogue-which-never-featured-melania-has-new-cover-gushing-for-dr-jill\/\" title=\"\u2018Joy Multiplier\u2019: Vogue, Which Never Featured Melania, Has New Cover Gushing For \u2018Dr. Jill\u2019\">healthy eating<\/a> and\u200d exercise, and his willingness to help \u200cindividuals struggling with \u2063obesity. Despite facing mockery for his flamboyant \u200cpersona, Simmons remained \u2064dedicated \u200bto promoting \u2064a healthier \u200dlifestyle. Through his work, \u200che inspired \u200ccountless people \u200dto prioritize their health\u200c and well-being.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"> <?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/%20\"><span>The Associated Press<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   July 13, 2024 at 2:45pm <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Richard Simmons, television\u2019s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday. He turned 76 on Friday. <\/p>\n<p>Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist Tom Estey said in an email to The Associated Press. He gave no further details. <\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles police and fire departments say they responded to a house \u2014 whose address the AP has matched with Simmons through public records \u2014 where a man was declared dead from natural causes. <\/p>\n<p>Simmons, who had revealed a skin diagnosis in March 2024, had lately dropped out of sight, sparking speculating about his health and well-being. His death was first reported by TMZ. <\/p>\n<p>Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who became a master of many media forms, sharing his hard-won weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime \u201cRichard Simmons Show\u201d and author of best-selling books and the diet plan Deal-A-Meal. He also opened exercise studios and starred exercise videos, including the wildly successful \u201cSweatin\u2019 to the Oldies\u201d line, which became a cultural phenomenon. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy food plan and diet are just two words \u2014 common sense. With a dash of good humor,\u201d he told The Associated Press in 1982. \u201cI want to help people and make the world a healthier, happy place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simmons embraced mass communication to get his message out, even as he eventually became the butt of jokes for his outfits and flamboyant flair. He was a sought-after guest on TV shows led by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Phil Donahue. But David Letterman would prank him and Howard Stern would tease him until he cried. He was mocked in Neil Simon\u2019s \u201cThe Goodbye Girl\u201d on Broadway in 1993, and Eddie Murphy put on white makeup and dressed like him in \u201cThe Nutty Professor,\u201d screaming \u201cI\u2019m a pony!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked if he thought he could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-medical-analyst-narrow-window-exists-to-tie-vaccination-status-to-people-getting-freedoms-back\/\" title=\"CNN Medical Analyst: \u2018Narrow Window\u2019 Exists To Tie \u2018Vaccination Status\u2019 To People Getting Freedoms Back\">motivate people<\/a> by being silly, Simmons answered, \u201cI think there\u2019s a time to be serious and a time to be silly. It\u2019s knowing when to do it. I try to have a nice combination. Being silly cures depression. It catches people off guard and makes them think. But in between that silliness is a lot of seriousness that makes sense. It\u2019s a different kind of training.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simmons\u2019 daytime show was seen on 200 stations in America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. His first book, \u201cNever Say Diet,\u201d was a smash best-seller.<\/p>\n<p>He was known to counsel the severely obese, including Rosalie Bradford, who held records for being the world\u2019s heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons for helping him lose 700 pounds. Simmons put real people \u2014 chubby, balding or non-telegenic \u2014 in his exercise videos to make the fitness goals seem reachable.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout his career, Simmons was a reliable critic of fad diets, always emphasizing healthy eating and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/intense-exercise-could-be-harmful-to-your-health-when-done-incorrectly\/\" title=\"Intense Exercise Could Be Harmful to Your Health When Done Incorrectly\">exercise plans<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019ll always be some weird thing about eating four grapes before you go to bed, or drinking a special tea, or buying this little bean from El Salvador,\u201d he told the AP in 2005 as the Atkins diet craze swept the country. \u201cIf you watch your portions and you have a good attitude and you work out every day you\u2019ll live longer, feel better and look terrific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simmons was a native of New Orleans, a chubby boy named Milton by his parents. (He renamed himself \u201cRichard\u201d around the age of 10 to improve his self-image). He would tell people he ate to excess because he believed his parents liked his older brother more. He was teased by schoolmates and ballooned to almost 200 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons told the AP his mother watched exercise guru Jack LaLanne\u2019s TV show religiously when he was growing up, but he wasn\u2019t crazy about the fitness fanatic. \u201cI hated him,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t ready for his message because he was fit and he was healthy and he had such a positive attitude, and I was none of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simmons went to Italy as a foreign exchange student and ended up doing peanut butter commercials and bacchanalian eating scenes for director Federico Fellini in his film \u201cFellini Satyricon.\u201d He told the AP: \u201cI was fat, had curly hair. The Italians thought I was hysterical. I was the life of the party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His life changed after getting an anonymous letter. \u201cOne dark, rainy day I went to my car and found a note. It said, \u2018Dear Richard, you\u2019re very funny, but fat people die young. Please don\u2019t die.\u201d He was so stunned that he went on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-velocity-diet\/\" title=\"The Velocity Diet\">starvation diet<\/a> that left him thin but very ill.<\/p>\n<p>After the crash diet he gained back 65 pounds. Eventually, he was able to devise a sensible plan to take off the pounds and keep them off. \u201cI went into the business because I couldn\u2019t find anything I liked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>When Simmons hadn\u2019t been seen in public for several years, some news outlets speculated that he was being held hostage in his own house. In telephone interviews with \u201cEntertainment Tonight\u201d and the \u201cToday\u201d show, Simmons refuted the claims and told his fans he was enjoying the time by himself. Filmmaker-writer Dan Taberski, one of his regular students, launched a podcast in 2017 called \u201cMissing Richard Simmons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Simmons broke his six-year silence, with his spokesperson telling The New York Post that the beloved fitness icon was \u201cliving the life he has chosen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___ Mark Kennedy is at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KennedyTwits\">http:\/\/twitter.com\/KennedyTwits<\/a><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio and Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles. <\/p>\n<p>The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Simmons, the energetic fitness guru known for his television shows and exercise videos, passed away at the age of 76 in his Los Angeles home. His death was confirmed by his publicist, but no further details were provided. Simmons had been out of the public eye for some time, leading to speculation about his health. Throughout his career, Simmons promoted healthy eating and exercise, often using humor to motivate people. He was a best-selling author and had a successful line of exercise videos. Despite facing criticism and mockery, Simmons remained dedicated to helping people improve their health and fitness. He was known for his positive attitude and emphasis on common sense approaches to wellness. Simmons&#8217; journey to fitness began after receiving a letter urging him to take care of his health, leading him to develop a sensible plan for weight loss. In his later years, Simmons chose to live a more private life, leading to rumors and speculation about his well-being. Despite this, he continued to inspire people through his fitness teachings and positive attitude<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2294203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/575657cb95ac4699a6fde3a6e9620e12.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[11659,6150,6499,34936,34935],"class_list":["post-2294202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-birthday","tag-celebrity","tag-death","tag-fitness-guru","tag-richard-simmons"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/575657cb95ac4699a6fde3a6e9620e12.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}