Dead one day after his 76th birthday. Who didn't love the guy?
https://pagesix.com/2024/07/13/entertainment/richard-simmons-dead-at-76/
That's sad. It was kind of obvious that healthwise things weren't going to get any better.
shareHe did an interview a few months ago where he said that he was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was treatable and by the way he spoke about it, it sounded as if he was fine. The article above says he died of natural causes.
shareAs I understand it, his health had been suffering for some years.
share[He had] "'a birth defect that significantly affected one of his legs,' TMZ managing editor Fabian Garcia declared in the doc. 'He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems...Richard found comfort in food and he gained a lot of weight,' doc producer Charles Latibeaudiere further revealed. 'And that put a lot of stress on his knees.'”
https://nypost.com/2022/08/24/the-secret-birth-defect-that-made-richard-simmons-a-superstar-and-a-recluse/
I don't know how much of this is true, and what additional physical problems he may have had.
He apparently had one of his knees replaced and gained a lot of weight. Supposedly he needed a replacement for his other knee as well, but refused because it was too traumatic for him. If true, he must've been in quite a bit of pain.
shareWas it his skin cancer?
share