Ruth Westheimer, Sex Therapist Known as Dr. Ruth, Dead at 96

Ruth Westheimer , the sex therapist known as Dr. Ruth, is dead at 96.

On Friday, July 12, Westheimer died at her New York City home while surrounded by family, according to her publicist, Pierre Lehu , per the Associated Press . No details about the cause of death were publicly shared.

In 1928, Westheimer was born Karola Ruth Seigel in Frankfurt, Germany. Her parents sent her to Switzerland at age 10 to escape Kristallnacht, the Nazis' organized massacre in 1928 before the Holocaust. Westheimer speculated that her parents were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz; she never saw them again.

After earning a doctorate in education from Columbia University, Westheimer taught at Lehman College in the Bronx— where she developed her specialty of instructing professors how to teach sex education.

She was best known for her syndicated radio show, “Sexually Speaking,” which was popular in the early 1980s. She went on to host her own TV show, The Dr. Ruth Show , which won an Ace Award for excellence in cable television.

Additionally, Westheimer penned more than 40 books and a nationally syndicated advice column. She also released a board game, Dr. Ruth’s Game of Good Sex, and a calendar series.

In the wake of her death, X users shared tributes for Westheimer. One person wrote , "Rest well Dr. Ruth. She understood the importance of healthy discussions about sex, gender and living one’s life to the fullest and overcoming adversity. Her life is a testament to what can be realized; a pint sized bada-- that women like me appreciated."

Another admirer wrote via X , "Was literally in the middle of reading Dr. Ruth’s book when I saw she passed. Heart broken! Baruch Dayan Ha’emet to America’s Jewish sex therapist. You will forever be remembered and missed so greatly!!!!!"

Meanwhile, a fellow New Yorker wrote on X , "Oh no RIP Dr. Ruth Westheimer….sad news for the world, NYC and my neighborhood….used to see her out and about all the time especially before covid hit at Ft. Tryon Park near her tulips…"

Westheimer was preceded in death by her third husband, Manfred "Fred" Westheimer , who died of heart failure in 1997. She is survived by her two children, Joel and Miriam , and four grandchildren.

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