Richard Simmons, Beloved Fitness Instructor, Dead at 76

Richard Simmons , the incomparable fitness guru who got people moving and sweating with his eccentric coaching style, has died. He was 76.

Simmons died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. According to TMZ , who was first to report the news, police got a call from his housekeeper,Teresa Reveles, just before 10 a.m. PT. He was pronounced dead at the scene and no foul play is suspected at this time. The cause of death is not known.

Tom Estey, Simmons' longtime friend and publicist, remembered his friend in a statement to ET.

"I've spent the last 32 years blessed to not only represent but to share an incredible friendship with Richard Simmons," Estery said. "He was everything the public saw and so much more. On a professional level, he was pure genius. I’ve never encountered a mind like his -sheer brilliance."

He continued, "On a personal level, he was my family. He would call me every morning to kickstart my day and every night to remind me to 'sleep with my Angels.' I'm lost but I know he will now sit on my shoulder and guide me. I wish everyone had their own Richard Simmons -- my time with him was extraordinary. My heart aches. It is his time to sleep with his Angels."

Simmons had just posted some six hours prioron social media a photo of himself as Barbra Streisand.

His death comes just one day after he celebrated his 76th birthday. His rep told ET on Friday that Simmons was excited about landingPatrick Leonard as the composer for his upcoming Broadway musical.

Simmons also took to Facebook on his birthday and shared a throwback photo of himself celebrating his first birthday. He also reflected on celebratory cakes, making birthday cards in grade school and what he and his brother, Lenny, would get as gifts on their special days.

In March, Simmons set the record straight about his health after previously sharing a story about his skin cancer treatment . He later took to Facebook to explain that the story took place " years ago ."

"I have had a tremendous amount of responses on my message regarding skin cancer," Simmons wrote. "It happened so many years ago. The reason I wrote these two messages is that if you see a spot on your body please go to your doctor …so they can diagnose it right away."

"I guess I should be more careful about what I write about," Simmons added.

Born July 12, 1948, as Milton Simmons, the fitness icon grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, and had aspirations to be an actor.

In 1973, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and it was then that he started to focus on his health. According to Simmons' official website, the fitness guru was 268 pounds when he graduated from high school, and dropped the weight when he moved to L.A. In numerous interviews, Simmons said it was his own struggle to lose weight through a string of fad diets that inspired him to help others lead a healthy lifestyle.

In 1974, he opened his fitness studio, Slimmons , in Beverly Hills, California, which closed in November of 2016.

From there, Simmons went on to encourage others with the release 65 workout videos -- including Sweatin’ to the Oldies , Dance Your Pants Off and Sit Tight (a workout designed for people who cannot stand) -- that have sold over 20 million copies, his website notes.

In addition to his wildly successful workout videos, Simmons authored several books, including the 1980 New York Times bestseller, Never Say Diet , his 1999 biography, Still Hungry-After All These Years: My Story , and three cookbooks.

Simmons' career also spanned into television. From 1980 to 1984, he hosted the Emmy-winning talk show, The Richard Simmons Show , and was a regular on General Hospital .

His most recent business venture occurred earlier in April 2017 when his management company, Prominent Brand + Talent, acquired exclusive rights to represent Simmons for merchandising, endorsements and licensing opportunities. His rep, Michael Catalano, told ET at the time that the yet-to-be-released products would be "consistent" with Simmons' "message and mission."

Even with worldwide fame, Simmons continued to teach classes at Slimmons, but in February 2014, he retreated from the public eye completely.

In March 2016, Simmons addressed fans' concern in regard to his well-being in an exclusive phone interview with ET . "I love all the people who worry about me," he said. "But it was time for me to take some time to be by myself.”

"This is how I want to live my life right now," he added. "And to all the people that are worried about me, please don't be. If I was in any trouble, if I was hurting in any way, I would reach out. It is time right now for Richard Simmons to take care of Richard Simmons."

In March, Simmons shared he's " dying " in a post imploring fans to "enjoy your life to the fullest every single day."

Simmons' death comes after Pauly Shore shared that he's moving forward with his Simmons biopic "whether [Simmons] likes it or not."

Shore made that declaration during his Netflix Is a Joke comedy show in Los Angeles, as first reported by Variety .

"I'm also gonna be starring in the Richard Simmons biopic ... whether he likes it or not," Shore said, per the outlet. "Just another f***ing bump in my f***ing road."

ET previously reported that the project did not have the support of Simmons himself, but that didn't stop Shore from dropping photos and a teaser trailer, which depict him as Simmons in The Court Jester.

Simmons' rep later told ET, "Richard and I are not endorsing this project. It is unauthorized. I spoke to Pauly last year and told him [Richard] is not ready to tell his story."

Instead, Simmons had said that he was working on a Broadway musical about his life as well as a documentary.

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