US fitness guru Richard Simmons dies at 76

LOS ANGELES – American fitness instructor Richard Simmons, who for years was the face of home fitness through his wildly popular videos and energetic personality, died in Los Angeles on July 13. He was 76.

A representative for Simmons, Mr Tom Estey, confirmed Simmons’ death.

The Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department responded to an address linked to Simmons at 10am on July 13. A Fire Department spokesperson said that personnel at the scene determined he had died of natural causes.

At his Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons, and in his videos and DVDs, Simmons exuded an enthusiastic can-do spirit to inspire people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving.

Simmons stretched and jumped in contrast to other fitness gurus of the 1980s, such as actor and former professional bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, who exuded movie-star looks and charm.

Simmons’ approach was perhaps more noticeable, and relatable, than that of his counterparts, as he spoke directly to audiences in his aerobics videos.

One video features him clapping and singing in unison with students, as they entered his studio.

“You’re actually inside my real exercise studio, Slimmons, and these are my honest-to-goodness teachers,” he said, looking to the group around him.

Simmons, whose given name was Milton Teagle Simmons, was born in New Orleans on July 12, 1948. Both of his parents were performers.

His mother, Shirley, was a travelling dancer; his father, Leonard, once performed in a vaudeville act and was a master of ceremony for big bands in Chicago.

Simmons picked up his nickname after his uncle, Richard, promised to pay for his college education if he were to take his name, Simmons told the Tampa Bay Times in a 2008 interview.

Simmons began overeating at a young age and struggled with his weight for much of his young adult life.

In 1968, after he found a note on his windshield that said “Fat people die young; please don’t die”, Simmons lost 50kg in less than three months, according to a 1981 People magazine article.

In the 1970s, Simmons, who at one point weighed 120kg, moved to Los Angeles and opened up an exercise studio, originally called Anatomy Asylum and later Slimmons, as well as an adjoining restaurant and salad bar called Ruffage.

Simmons’ classes became wildly popular, attracting ordinary people and some of the biggest celebrities at the time, including singer-actresses Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross.

As his fame grew, Simmons went on a variety of television shows to spread his message about the importance of leading a healthy life – a message he told with exuberance.

“I think there’s a time to be serious and a time to be silly,” Simmons said. “Being silly cures depression.”

In 1980, The Richard Simmons Show began running in national syndication. With a huge shock of frizzy hair, Simmons talked to viewers at home about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, taught cooking lessons and led a workout class with a live audience.

On his hands and knees with music pumping in the background, Simmons demonstrated energetic routines like abdominal or cardio workouts with a side of physical comedy and an occasional out-of-breath joke.

The show ran for four years and won four Daytime Emmy Awards.