Fitness Guru Richard Simmons Dead at 76

Almost 50 years have passed since Richard Simmons opened his first gym in Beverly Hills, and he hadn’t taught a class there in a decade, but the late exercise guru that The New York Times dubbed “America’s most popular fitness instructor” remained the face of fitness for millions.

Simmons, who died at his Los Angeles home Saturday (July 13) at age 76, built an empire on transforming the lives and bodies of his enthusiastic clientele.

Born Milton Teagle Richard Simmons in New Orleans to a dancer and a vaudeville performer, he had showbiz in his blood. “I think I’m just a good example of a chubby, fat, unhappy kid who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, and dreamed,” he told TV's Huell Howser in 1980. “And now all my dreams are coming true.”

He reportedly dropped roughly half his body weight after high school with a mixture of diet pills, injections, hypnosis and laxatives before starting his exercise regimen. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s to start a new life and was soon at the helm of Anatomy Asylum, a health club in Beverly Hills poised to ride the fitness fads of that decade and beyond.

Actress Jane Fonda opened her own aerobics studio nearby in 1979 and the decade of the workout was in full swing.

When news reports of the club noted that Simmons, who worked out in a pink leotard, “used to be a freaky fat extra for Fellini movies” more coverage followed. His flamboyant exuberance made him a popular guest on talk shows, and even later in life, he would make himself available for hosts like Howard Stern.

The club’s clientele reportedly soon included Barbra Streisand and Cher who joined the hourlong workouts that started at 7 a.m. “I'm the only court jester in the fitness world,” he told Los Angeles in 2013. “Most of the people in it are very serious. I love comedy; I love having a sense of humor. I had to use that as a child not to get beat up every day because I wasn't Mr. Masculine.”

Simmons and his partner in the gym, a cousin of the famed martial arts star Bruce Lee, soon opened a health food restaurant called Ruffage. Simmons later branched out into designing jewelry, acting on General Hospital , and wrote his first book, Never Say Diet . A countless string of books, videos — including Sweatin’ to the Oldies — and tchotchkes, Deal-A-Meal , branded shoes, dolls and even a Funko pop lined store shelves.

Simmons largely retreated from public life in 2014 and his absence sparked rumors and investigations. Fans created the audio series “ Missing Richard Simmons ,” which became the most downloaded podcast on iTunes before Simmons resurfaced in 2017. “Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?!," he wrote on Facebook . "LOL Well by now you know that I’m not ‘missing’, just a little under the weather.”

"I don’t want people to be sad about my brother," his brother Lenny stated in the hours following Simmons’ death. “I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help. So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life.”