Cause of death of Richard Simmons is under investigation
July 16, 2024
![Cause of death of Richard Simmons is under investigation Cause of death of Richard Simmons is under investigation](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Richard-Simmons-Opened-Up-About-Loss-in-Final-Interview-Before-Death-It-Takes-a-Toll-On-Your-Heart-2.jpg?crop=0px%2C168px%2C1400px%2C734px&resize=1200%2C630&quality=86&strip=all)
![Richard Simmons spoke about his loss in his last interview before his death. It weighs on the heart](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Richard-Simmons-Opened-Up-About-Loss-in-Final-Interview-Before-Death-It-Takes-a-Toll-On-Your-Heart-2.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Richard Simmons.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicRichard SimmonsThe official cause of death is currently under investigation.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released Simmons’ cause of death while an investigation and additional tests are underway. People was reported on Monday, July 15. Police told the outlet that “there was no third-party negligence.”
The fitness legend died at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 13, just two days after his 76th birthday. Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene and ruled his death from natural causes.
On the morning of Friday, July 12, Simmons shared a birthday message and thanked his fans on Facebook.
“So many of you have sent me birthday wishes on Facebook and other platforms,” he wrote. “I really appreciate it. I don’t know when your birthday is, but I wish you all the best and all the best!”
Simmons, who retired from the limelight a decade ago, spoke candidly in an extensive interview with People several days before his death.
“How do you deal with loss? It weighs on the heart,” Simmons said. “Some people shed a lot of tears, others stare up at the sky. It’s so hard to say goodbye. I know when it’s time for us to go, beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and a hello.”
He said he knows people “miss him” and that he “misses them too.”
Although he remained “in disguise,” Simmons continued to communicate with his fans by phone and email. “When I decided to stop, my body told me I had to stop,” he said. “I spent time reflecting on my life. All the books I’ve written, the videos. I never thought, ‘Oh, look what I’ve done.’ I always thought, ‘Oh, look how many people I’ve helped.'”
In March, Simmons was diagnosed with a “frightening” Basal cell carcinoma and had it removed from his body earlier this year.
“(The skin cancer) never came back. So many people have cancer,” he said. “I call them, I sing to them.”You’ll get through this. You just have to believe.'”