Friday, July 19, 2024

Richard Simmons (1948-2024)

 


Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2024) was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos.

Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and was a frequent guest of late-night television and radio talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.

He continued to promote health and exercise through a decades-long career, and later broadened his activities to include political activism, such as in 2008 in support of a bill mandating noncompetitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.[1][2]

Early life

Milton Teagle Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 12, 1948, to Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and Shirley May (née Satin). He was born to "show-business parents" and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans.[3] Simmons had an older brother, Leonard Jr.[4] Their father was raised Methodist and worked as a master of ceremonies and later in thrift stores, while their mother was Russian Jewish and was a traveling fan dancer and later a store cosmetics saleswoman.[5]

Simmons became a practicing Catholic in adolescence and attended Cor Jesu High School.[6][7][8] He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in art.[9]

He became obese during his early childhood and adolescence.[10] He began to overeat and became overweight as early as the age of 4, and by the age of 5, he knew it was perceived negatively.[10] At 15, he weighed 182 pounds (83 kg). As a young man, he considered being a priest.[11][12] As a young adult art student, he appeared among the "freak show" characters in the Fellini films Satyricon (1968) and The Clowns (1970), and he eventually reached a peak of 268 lb (122 kg).[13][10][14]

In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Simmons explained he adopted the name Richard after an uncle who paid for his college tuition.[12] His first job in New Orleans was as a child, selling pralines at Leah's Pralines.[11]

Career

Fitness career

Simmons in 1982

Upon moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Simmons worked as the maître d'hôtel at Derek's, a restaurant in Beverly Hills.[5]: 157  He developed an interest in fitness. Exercise studios of the day favored the already fit customer, so little help was available for those who needed to gain fitness from an otherwise unhealthy state. He established gyms, and his interest in fitness helped him lose 123 lb (56 kg).[15][16]

He later opened his own exercise studio, originally called The Anatomy Asylum, where emphasis was placed on healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. The business originally included a salad bar restaurant called Ruffage, a pun on the word roughage (dietary fiber), though it was eventually removed as the focus of The Anatomy Asylum shifted solely to exercise.[17] Later renamed "Slimmons", the establishment continued operations in Beverly Hills and Simmons taught motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week.[18] Slimmons closed in November 2016.[19] Slimmons's success led to Simmons's own television series, The Richard Simmons Show, which aired from 1980 to 1984 and earned him multiple Emmy awards.[20] Rising interest in aerobics during the 1980s led to the popularization of Simmons's line of fitness videos, particularly his Sweatin' to the Oldies series which became one of the most popular videos during the decade.[21]

In 2010, Simmons stated he had kept off his own 100+ pound (45 kg) weight loss for 42 years, had been helping others lose weight for 35 years, and that in the course of his fitness career, had helped humanity lose approximately 12 million pounds (5.5 million kg).[22] Simmons used the Internet as a method of outreach by running his own membership-based website and also had official pages on numerous social-networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.[23]

In media

Simmons began to draw media attention due to the success of his health club that began with him on Real People, where he was shown at work. He introduced customers whom he had helped to lose weight. He later had guest roles on Battlestars, Body Language, Super Password, Win, Lose or Draw, Match Game (ABC), Hollywood Squares (syndicated), and Nickelodeon's Figure It Out.[citation needed] Positive viewer reactions landed Simmons a recurring role as himself in the ABC network soap opera General Hospital over a 4-year period.[24] This, as well as being in shopping malls, where he taught exercise classes, led to further media attention. In the early 1980s, Simmons hosted two shows — Slim Cookin and the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Richard Simmons Show, in which he focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cooking. The Richard Simmons Show drew thousands of exercise enthusiasts, including SAG/AFTRA actress Lucrecia Sarita Russo, who reportedly transported an entire bus filled with women from Pam's Figure Tique for a lively workout on the show.[citation needed]

Simmons in 2011

Simmons portrayed himself in Steven Spielberg's 1986 Amazing Stories season one, episode 10 ("Remote Control Man").[citation needed] Simmons was a guest on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 18, 1997, together with Celine Dion.[25] He was a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show, his last appearance coming in 2013.[26]

Simmons was also a guest on Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) and the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS), but on November 22, 2000, they had a falling-out after an incident on that night's show. Simmons (while dressed as a turkey) grabbed Letterman as if to hug or kiss him, and Letterman responded by spraying Simmons with a fire extinguisher which caused Simmons to have a severe asthma attack.[27] Simmons did not appear on the Letterman show for six years, finally returning on November 29, 2006. During that time, Letterman once again set Simmons up for a prank. While Simmons was demonstrating a steamer branded with his name, Letterman insisted on placing a tray under the steamer which Simmons did not believe belonged there. When Simmons turned the steamer on, something in the tray exploded and caught fire, sending Simmons running for his life. Despite the scare, Simmons took the incident in fairly good nature, even joking that he "felt like Michael Jackson" (referring to a mishap where Jackson's hair was accidentally set on fire by pyrotechnics while filming a Pepsi commercial).[28]

In 1998, Simmons provided the voice of Boone in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie. He featured as himself on numerous television series, including Whose Line Is It Anyway?, CHiPs, Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show, and in the Arrested Development episode "Bringing Up Buster." In 1999, he hosted the short-lived television series DreamMaker. In 2007, he filmed the PBS pledge-drive special Love Yourself and Win.

He also featured in television advertisements for Sprint, Yoplait, and Herbal Essence shampoos. In late 2007, he was in a This is SportsCenter commercial on ESPN as the show's "conditioning coach". In Canada, Simmons was in an advertisement for Simmons mattresses. The mattress company hired the exercise celebrity because of the similarity in name, and for his appeal to the company's target audience of women over 35.[citation needed] Beyond this, no further business partnership existed between them. In the Rocko's Modern Life episode "No Pain, No Gain", Simmons voiced an exercise trainer bearing his animated likeness, leading a class filled with large, anthropomorphic animals.

Simmons appeared multiple times on The Glenn Beck Program on HLN.[29] From 2006 to 2008, he hosted a radio show on Sirius Stars (Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102) titled Lighten Up with Richard Simmons.[30][31] He provided the voice for Coach Salmons, a recurring character modeled after his own likeness, for Fish Hooks, a Disney Channel Original Series that ran for three seasons.[15] In 2011, Simmons starred in "Fit to Fly with Richard Simmons", an Air New Zealand inflight safety briefing video modeled after his aerobic workouts.[32] He is featured heavily in the film clip of "Hawker Boat" by Tobacco, taken from the album Fucked Up Friends.[33]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Simmons's YouTube channel was updated with archival exercise videos (recorded before his decision to withdraw from public life) to help people stay fit at home. A spokesperson said the move was motivated by "an overwhelming request for Richard to return in some way as a comfort", and added that "Richard is very touched by the outreach".[34] In January 2024, an as-yet untitled biopic about Simmons, starring Pauly Shore, was announced. Simmons stated on Facebook, "I have never given my permission for this movie."[35] In April 2024, he said he was discussing giving his approval for a different biopic.[36]

Personal life

Personality

Simmons in 2007

Simmons used his energetic and motivational demeanor to encourage people to lose weight. His high energy level was always featured in his workout videos, and his trademark attire was candy-striped Dolphin shorts and tank tops decorated with Swarovski crystals.[12][37]

Simmons interacted at a personal level with people using his products. This began by personally answering fan mail he received as a cast member of General Hospital. As late as 2008, he personally answered emails and letters and made hundreds of phone calls each week to those seeking his help.[38]

He claimed to have few friends, saying, "I don't have a lot to offer to one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people." Aside from his three Dalmatians and two maids, Simmons lived alone in Beverly Hills, California.[38] Although his persona inspired speculation about his sexual orientation, he never publicly addressed the subject.[39][40][41][42][43] After his death, contemporary fitness personality Jane Fonda stated that she had last seen him for lunch at the Polo Lounge, when he was accompanied by his new boyfriend.[44]

In a 2012 interview with Men's Health, he was quoted:

When the king gets depressed, he doesn't call for his wife or the cook. He turns to the little man with the pointed hat and says to the court jester "make me laugh". And I am that court jester.

— Richard Simmons, Men's Health[45]

Hurricane Katrina response

In September 2005, Simmons appeared on Entertainment Tonight to discuss the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his family in his hometown of New Orleans, and his involvement in aiding those affected by the hurricane. On August 29, 2006, Simmons was on Your World with Neil Cavuto while making a return visit to New Orleans one year after the flooding, a visit he repeated on March 2, 2007, now talking about his recent trip to Washington, DC, to promote and raise awareness about the Strengthening Physical Education Act of 2007 (H.R. 1224).[citation needed]

Retirement

Simmons did not make any major public appearances after 2014, and stopped appearing in public altogether in February of that year. In March 2016, speculation began that he was being held hostage by his housekeeper.[46][47] In response, on March 14, 2016, Simmons gave an audio interview on The Today Show, denying the rumors.[48] In November 2016, the Simmons fitness gym closed, without any public announcement from Simmons.[19] In February 2017, the podcast Missing Richard Simmons launched, investigating why Simmons left public life so suddenly.[49]

In March 2017, Los Angeles Police Department detectives visited Simmons's home to conduct a welfare check, issuing a statement that Simmons is "perfectly fine" and that "right now he is doing what he wants to do and it is his business."[50] On April 19, 2017, following a hospitalization for severe indigestion, Simmons made his first public comment in over a year, posting on Facebook a photo of himself and the message "I'm not 'missing', just a little under the weather".[51] However, the picture that was included in the post was from as far back as 2013, leading to speculation that the person who posted the message might not actually have been Simmons.[52][53][54]

In May 2017, he sued the National Enquirer, Radar Online, and American Media, Inc. for libel and false claims that he was undergoing gender reassignment.[55] In September 2017, Simmons lost the lawsuit, and was ordered to pay the defendants' attorney's fees. The judge ruled, "because courts have long held that a misidentification of certain immutable characteristics do not naturally tend to injure one's reputation, even if there is sizeable portion of the population who hold prejudices against those characteristics, misidentification of a person as transgender is not actionable defamation absent special damages."[56]

In June 2018, he sued a Los Angeles private investigator, claiming he had placed a tracking device over a year earlier on the only vehicle Simmons used for transportation, noting that such tracking is in violation of California law.[57] In July 2018, Simmons amended the suit, alleging the investigator had been hired by In Touch Weekly and prosecutors filed a criminal complaint.[58] In May 2020, a California appellate court upheld a trial judge's decision allowing Simmons's lawsuit to move forward.[59] In August 2022, in response to continued rumors and a TMZ documentary, What Really Happened to Richard Simmons, claiming that knee problems forced Simmons out of public life, Simmons issued a statement to the New York Post that he "is happy, healthy, and living the life he has chosen to live."[60]

Health

In March 2024, Simmons issued a statement clarifying that he was not dying, after a Facebook post he wrote encouraging people to "embrace every day" drew public concern. Simmons also stated that he no longer had a manager or publicist, and that he had not given permission for a biopic of him.[61] That same month, Simmons revealed that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, located underneath his right eye. Simmons later stated on his Twitter page that the cancer diagnosis occurred "so many years ago" and he decided to speak out about it to encourage people to go to the doctor if they see anything unusual on their body.[62][63]

Death

Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles on July 13, 2024, at the age of 76.[64] He had suffered a fall at his home the day prior and refused to seek medical attention.[65][66] Police said that his death appeared to be from natural causes.[67][68]

Books

  • Never Say Diet[69]
  • Never Say Diet Cookbook[70]
  • The Better Body Book[71]
  • Deal-A-Meal Cookbook[72]
  • Reach for Fitness: A Special Book of Exercises for the Physically Challenged[73]
  • Richard Simmons' Never Give Up: Inspirations, Reflections, Stories of Hope[74]
  • Farewell to Fat[75]
  • Sweetie Pie: The Richard Simmons Private Collection of Dazzling Desserts[76]
  • Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story[5]
  • The Food Mover Cookbook[77]
  • Cookin' on Broadway[78]
  • Steam Away the Pounds[79]

Audio

Analog compact cassette

  • Project Me (six-tape set)[80]
  • Take a Walk[81]
  • Take a Hike[82]
  • Sweatin' and Sharin With Richard Simmons & Friends[83]
  • Walk Across America[84]
  • Colors of Your Life (single tape)[85]
  • Colors of Your Life (six tape set)[86]
  • Secrets of the Winners (single tape)[87]
  • Take a Classical Walk
  • Walkin' on Broadway
  • Walk Around the World
  • Never Give Up: Inspirations, Reflections, Stories of Hope (book on tape, read by Simmons)[88]

Compact disc

  • Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 1
  • Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 2
  • Country Cardio
  • Oh Happy Day[89]
  • Fitness Fiesta
  • Wicked Workout[90]
  • Big Screen Burn
  • Shimmy into Shape
  • In the Mood to Lose
  • Classical Chillout

Vinyl record

Singles

  • This Time (Elektra Records, 45 rpm 1983)

Digital compact cassette

  • Colors of Your Life (single tape) (Goodtimes Entertainment, BASF 90 Min. 1998)

Visual media

DVD

  • Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes[92]
  • Latin Blast Off
  • Mega Mix Blast Off
  • Mega Mix 2 Blast Off
  • Disco Blast Off
  • '60s Blast Off
  • '80s Blast Off
  • Blast and Tone
  • Disco Sweat[93]
  • SuperSweatin': Party Off the Pounds
  • SuperTonin': Totally Tonin
  • SuperTonin': Totally Tonin' with Toning Rings
  • Sit Tight
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies[94]
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 2[95]
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 3[96]
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 4[97]
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 5[98]
  • Love Yourself and Win
  • Boogie Down the Pounds
  • Tonin' to the Oldies
  • "Richard Simmons Project H.O.P.E. – Health, Optimism, Passion, Energy"

Video cassette

  • Everyday with Richard Simmons
  • The Stomach Formula
  • Get Started
  • Reach for Fitness – A Special Video of Exercises for the Physically Challenged[99]
  • Deal Your Way to Health
  • Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 2
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 3[100]
  • Sweatin' to the Oldies 4
  • Day By Day (Volumes 1–12)
  • Pump and Sweat
  • Step and Sweat
  • Tone and Sweat
  • Stretchin' to the Classics
  • Dance Your Pants Off!
  • Tonin' Uptown
  • Tonin' Downtown
  • Groovin' In The House
  • The Ab Formula
  • No Ifs Ands or Butts
  • Love to Stretch
  • Blast Off
  • Broadway Sweat[101]
  • Tone Up On Broadway
  • Broadway Blast Off
  • Platinum Sweat
  • Sit Tight
  • Latin Blast Off
  • Mega Mix Blast Off
  • Mega Mix 2 Blast Off
  • Disco Blast Off
  • 60's Blast Off
  • 80's Blast Off
  • Blast and Tone
  • Farewell to Fat[102]
  • Disco Sweat
  • Sudar Mucho

YouTube

  • Fit to Fly
  • Hair Do (Official Music Video)[103]

Television/movies

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