Flamboyant fitness instructor Richard Simmons had been out of the public eye for years, retiring in the 2010s and telling people that after a lifetime in the spotlight he just wanted some privacy.
Simmons, best known for his sparkly costumes and bubbly, emotional manner, died on July 13 just one day after his 76th birthday. Now the LA County Medical Examiner’s office has released the full autopsy report on his body. The ME determined that Simmons fell and died from “blunt traumatic injuries.” The report said Simmons’ coronary artery disease may have contributed to his fall, but the prescription drugs found in his system—sleeping pills and antihistamines—did not seem to have contributed to his death.
Simmons was best known for his Sweatin to the Oldies workout videos, launched in the days when VHS tapes reigned supreme. Starting out as a very overweight young man, Simmons developed a system of eating and exercise that trimmed him down. He wanted to share this with others struggling to lose weight, and he amassed countless fans of his warm and empathetic way of relating to people. He was especially popular with women.
Paramedics were sent to his home on July 13 and discovered that he was already dead. Just the day before, Simmons thanked fans on social media for the huge volume of birthday wishes they sent his way.
It was about ten years ago when Simmons retired from the public. Most recently he told People magazine that he was grateful to be alive especially as he had just gotten a diagnosis of skin cancer. With his trademark humor, he quipped that he’d blow out a candle, but that it would be a zucchini as “I’m a vegetarian.”
Simmons told the public and his fans in March that he had skin cancer, and detailed the operations he had to get rid of the cancer cells. He alarmed many by opening his post with “I am. . . dying.” But he went on to write that every one of us is dying every day as we get closer to death, and that he wanted people to “enjoy your life to the fullest” and count their blessings every day they wake up.
