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Legendary fitness guru Richard Simmons spoke about how much he missed his fans and that he still stayed in touch with them, in a final interview recorded just a few days before his death.
Simmons found fame in Los Angeles in the 1980s as a weight loss instructor and motivational speaker. He became known for frequent appearances on TV and radio talk shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show, and for his popular series of aerobic videos Sweatin’ to the Oldies.
He retreated from public life in 2014 and had rarely been seen since.
In his last interview with People magazine on Thursday, Simmons talked about his fans and how his focus always remained on trying to help people.
“I know people miss me. And you know what? I miss them, too. But I am able to reach them through phone calls and through emails. And I do leave the house sometimes. But I’m in disguise,” he said.
“Today most probably, we’ll answer over 100 emails. And they’ll say, ‘I’m your No. 1 fan.’ And I just write back, and I say, you know, ‘Don’t say that because I’m a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too.’”
Simmons died on Saturday, just one day after his 76th birthday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene after his housekeeper contacted police at around 10am, according to TMZ.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Simmons revealed in March that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
In the interview with People, he talked about his life away from the public eye and why he decided to step away in the first place.
“When I decided to retire, it was because my body told me I needed to retire. I have spent time just reflecting on my life. All of the books I wrote, the videos. I never was like, ‘Oh look what I’ve done.’ My thing was, ‘Oh, look how many people I helped.’”
A biopic on his life was said to be in the works in January 2024 which Simmons immediately distanced himself from.
“Hi everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read,” Simmons wrote on Facebook.
“I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
