Iconic Intimacy Therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dead at 96

Dr. Ruth Westheimer has passed away at age 96.

According to publicist and friend Pierre Lehu , the iconic intimacy therapist died on Friday, July 12, at her home in New York City surrounded by her loved ones.

"She was restful when she passed away. Her son and daughter were with her and holding her hand at that moment," the representative said in a Saturday, July 13, statement. "It was as peacefully as she could possibly go. She was 96."

Westheimer rose to prominence for her tell-it-like-it-is attitude about private bedroom topics. "I still hold old-fashioned values, and I’m a bit of a square," she said during a 2002 appearance at Michigan City High School. "S-- is a private art and a private matter. But still, it is a subject we must talk about."

The specialist also had a famous radio show called "S------- Speaking" during the 1980s, on which she candidly advised consenting adults about their intimate activity. Westheimer also became a talk show staple, often delivering her open and honest personality .

"If we could bring about talking about s-----activity the way we talk about diet — the way we talk about food — without it having this kind of connotation that there’s something not right about it, then we would be a step further. But we have to do it with good taste," she told Johnny Carson during a 1982 interview.

Last year, Westheimer was questioned about what had surprised her most about her life . "That I became famous,” she replied. "That I have a wonderful daughter, son-in-law, a wonderful son and daughter-in-law and four wonderful grandchildren."

"My body is wonderful. And I'm lucky that I'm healthy. My daughter Miriam lives nearby. My son Joel is in Ottawa, but he comes very often, and I have four grandchildren. And the word that I have to use is that I'm grateful ," she continued to gush. "My grandson, the little one, is [at a] first-year university in Toronto and loves it. And the other one is already graduating and is working with computers. With such a difficult beginning like me, having been an orphan at the age of 10 years old — no parents, no brothers and sisters — all I feel is gratefulness."

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When asked whether or not her grandchildren have ever seen clips of her work, she added, "I don't talk to them about it. I never talked to my late husband, Fred , about s-- on television, because he would tell you what he said on television once. He said 'The shoemaker's children don't have shoes.' He wants to imply that he didn't get enough s--. Not true.”

People obtained the statement from Lehu and conducted the 2023 interview with Westheimer.