Eccentric fitness guru Richard Simmons, known for his unrelenting positivity, has died, according to his representative.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to his home after a 911 call from his housekeeper and found Simmons dead, according to police sources. He appears to have died of natural causes, and no foul play is suspected, the sources said. He was born Milton Teagle Simmons in New Orleans on July 12, 1948, but adopted the name Richard while growing up. Simmons has often talked about how he was overweight as a child, which led him to his weight loss journey and pursuit of a career in fitness starting in the 1970s and ’80s. His first foray into weight loss came with the opening of his gym, Slimmons, in Beverly Hills, California.
His line of fitness videos exploded in popularity in the 1980s, along with a nationwide fitness craze that included a growing popularity of aerobics and Jazzercise. His videos, including the “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” series, became some of the most popular videos of the era.