Shaun T, Jane Fonda, Ricki Lake & others pay touching tributes to Richard Simmons
Facebook. “I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives. He truly cared about people.
He called, wrote, and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help. So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life!”“He was very excited about all of the upcoming ventures he was working on,” Lemmy continued. “We are in shock.
Please respect the family at this difficult time.”It’s understood Simmons died from natural causes.Simmons was born July 12, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He talked in later life about being overweight as a child and how it inspired him to explore fitness and healthy eating. He relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, where he noted exercise classes tended to be aimed at people who were already fairly fit and saw a gap in the market.He opened one of the first aerobic studios in 1974 in Beverly Hills and named it “Slimmons.” His success as an instructor led to The Richard Simmons Show, which aired on TV from 1980 to 1984 and earned several Emmy Awards.
