Richard Simmons’ Housekeeper Breaks Silence, Reveals Suspected Cause of Death

Richard Simmons’ housekeeper Teresa Reveles broke her silence and revealed what she suspected was her late boss’ cause of death.

“When I saw him, he looked peaceful,” Teresa told People in an interview published on Monday, July 29, noting Simmons' hands were balled into fists. “That’s why I know it was a heart attack. I had a heart attack a few years ago, and my hands did the same.”

The long-time employee, who worked for the fitness icon for 35 years, found Simmons in his bedroom and hasn’t been able to “stop crying” since his death. Teresa was asked by the outlet if she would prefer to recollect herself and speak later, to which she firmly declined and said, "No, I want to celebrate Richard. He died happy."

The fitness guru died of natural causes at the age of 76 years old on July 13. Although Teresa has often been referred to as his housekeeper, she said “someone else” was his housekeeper and had been there for more than 40 years. Instead, she shopped, oversaw the daily chores of his house and yard and cooked for him. “August 9th is our 36th anniversary,” she explained.

Teresa opened up about the fond memories she had of the Hercules star, recounting a story about a friendly group of skunks who would often visit his backyard in West Hollywood, California. Richard would feed them peanuts by hand, eventually gaining their trust and touching their noses.

“‘Richard! They probably have rabies!’ I would tell him,” she told the outlet.

In the days leading up to his passing, Simmons had been frequently posting on social media to thank his fans for their birthday wishes, which he received just one day before his death.

“The celebration of Birthdays. Birthday cakes and candles were created by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Later on someone said let’s bring gifts to the birthday person…that was a good idea. In 1893 two sisters named Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill wrote the song Happy Birthday to you. If the song was played on tv ,radio, or a movie these sisters collected a royalty. Now it is public domain,” Simmons wrote in a lengthy public Facebook post on July 12.

The former aerobics instructor then reminisced on how he marked the milestone as a child. “When I taught class at Slimmons, on my birthday they would have special cakes made for me. One was a sheet cake airbrushed with my picture on it…….one was a Barbie doll and her dress was the cake……also what about that cake with a big Disco ball on top,” he explained. “It was my birthday when we taped Groovin in the House . …that one was a three dimensional three foot cake in the shape of one of my Dalmatians … You know I cried.”

Simmons rose to fame in the 70s and 80s for his innovative new methods when it came to fitness marketing. Growing up obese, he developed a love for exercise and noticed that gyms were often marketed to those who were already fit — inspiring him to take a new approach. He went on to establish gyms specifically tailored to those who were struggling to lose weight.