Final March, after he revealed he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, Richard Simmons responded to a get-well message from Nearer. “I feel good,” he mentioned through e-mail. “I’ve been via loads. However now all I see are stunning brilliant rainbows. Say hey to your [readers] for me and thank them for his or her concern.”
The approachability of Richard, who died at his dwelling in the future after his 76th birthday, made him really feel like an previous good friend. He aimed to encourage with the story of his personal journey. “I feel I’m only a good instance of a chubby, fats, sad child who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, and dreamed, and now all my desires are coming true,” mentioned the health star, who opened his first aerobics studio in Los Angeles within the Seventies.
Inside a decade, Richard grew to become a well-recognized face on TV and radio selling the then-radical idea that anybody, irrespective of how previous or sedentary, may enhance their life. “For those who watch your parts and you’ve got angle and you’re employed out each day, you’ll stay longer, really feel higher and look terrific,” he mentioned in 2005.
With an exuberant, over-the-top persona, sequined tank tops and campy jokes, Richard additionally made train really feel enjoyable and inclusive. His Sweatin’ to the Oldies video collection, which featured Richard figuring out with a gaggle of ordinary-looking folks, bought hundreds of thousands.
Richard Simmons’ Quieter Life
In 2014, Richard walked away from public life. “Once I determined to retire, it was as a result of my physique instructed me I wanted to retire,” he mentioned. “I’ve frolicked simply reflecting on my life.”
He mentioned he deliberate to have fun his July 12 birthday by blowing out a candle on a zucchini. “OK, fantastic. Possibly one Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie,” Richard confided. “However only one.”
