Richard Simmons death: Legendary fitness guru dies at the age of 76

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Legendary fitness guru Richard Simmons died on Saturday, according to a report.

On Friday he turned 76 years old.

TMZ was the first to report on his death. His housekeeper contacted police shortly before 10 a.m., the newspaper said.

Simmons was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is currently unclear and has not been released.

On Friday, he thanked his fans who wished him a happy birthday on social media.

The news comes months after he announced in March that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer.

“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he had to scrape it off and put it under the microscope. Now I’m getting a little nervous,” the fitness personality wrote at the time. “He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C-word. ‘You have cancer.’ I asked him what type of cancer and he said ‘Baseline cell carcinoma.’ I told him to stop calling me names. He laughed.”

Simmons became a fitness sensation in the 1980s shortly after opening a gym in Los Angeles called The Anatomy Asylum, later renamed Slimmons.

The TV fitness pioneer became known through his regular appearances in television and radio talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman And The Howard Stern Showand for his popular aerobics video series Sweating to the oldies.

His training sessions established his celebrity status and led to further film and television appearances, including General Hospital, The Larry Sanders Show And Arrested development.

But the on-screen trainer, recognizable by his workout tank tops and short shorts, has disappeared in recent years, worrying fans.

He had not appeared in public since 2014 – which prompted him to give a telephone interview The Today Show in 2016 to put an end to rumors that he was being held hostage by his housekeeper.

A new biopic about Simmons, starring actor Pauly Shore, is said to be in the works in January 2024. However, Simmons quickly distanced himself from the film, writing on Facebook: “I never gave my permission for this film, so don’t believe everything you read.”

He added: “I don’t have a manager anymore, I don’t have a PR agent anymore. I’m just trying to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”