Jane Fonda mourns Richard Simmons after his death

Jane Fonda paid a touching tribute to a fitness icon of the 80s, Richard Simmons, who died at the weekend. He was 76 years old.

“Richard Simmons always wanted to make people comfortable and happy,” Fonda, 86, wrote on Instagram on Sunday, July 14, alongside a photo of the couple smiling together. “He did everything he could to make people happy. I often wondered if maybe no one made him happy when he was a little boy.”

Fonda described Simmons, who died on Saturday, July 13, as a “generous” person who “gave himself and his time to make people happy.” She recalled, “One time he jumped out of a giant cake at the opening of a Jane Fonda WORKOUT event. That was generous.” Like Simmons, Fonda was an icon of workout videos and fitness in the 1980s.

In her article Grace and Frankie The actress recalled one instance in which Simmons “found out I was in a store he was in, so he quickly bought a little piece of jewelry and ran through the store, screaming at the top of his lungs in that distinctive voice to let me know he was coming.” She said, “That was generous.”

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Fonda continued, “The last time I saw him was when I took him and one of his friends to lunch at the Polo Lounge. The relationship was new and he was proud. I never saw or heard from him again and, like many thousands of others, I mourned his absence from my life.”

Fonda, like many others, lost touch with Simmons when he stopped appearing in public and teaching at his gym in February 2014. After that, he withdrew almost completely from the public eye. “I hope he felt the love that so many have shown him over the past few years,” Fonda’s post concluded. “I hope it made him happy. I read that he died peacefully in his sleep in his very white house. Rest in peace, dear Richard.”

Simmons’ seemingly sudden disappearance from the public eye was the subject of the podcast “Missing Richard Simmons” and a 2022 Hulu documentary titled TMZ investigates: What really happened to Richard SimmonsIn 2016, he called for the Today Show to clear up rumors that he was being held hostage in his Beverly Hills home.

“You know, I do what I want, like I’ve always done, so people should just believe what I have to say, because I’m Richard Simmons!” he said at the time. “Right now I just want to take care of myself. I just don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to travel anymore… it’s been weighing on me.”

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Simmons died Saturday morning at his home in Los Angeles, one day after his 76th birthday. Local authorities pronounced him dead and presumed his death from natural causes.

The wellness guru, who was diagnosed with skin cancer in March, had been posting on his official Facebook page leading up to his birthday on Friday, July 12, thanking his fans for their well-wishes.

“Thank you,” he wrote on Facebook. “I have never had so many messages on my birthday in my life! I’m sitting here writing emails. Have a wonderful rest of your Friday.” Another post, apparently written early Saturday morning, read: “Hi beautiful! Please don’t spoil my mood.”

Simmons was perhaps best known for his weight loss programs and a series of aerobics videos, Sweating to the oldiesHis flamboyant personality was often parodied by comedians and he was a frequent guest on talk shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman.