Fitness guru's brother shares what LA coroner told him that led to his 'accidental' death
“Complications of recent illnesses” “A fall and heart disease” led to the accidental death of fitness guru Richard Simmons, according to his brother Lenny. Drugs were not a factor.
Simmons family spokesman Tom Esty gave a more complete picture in a statement to the people “This morning, Richard Simmons’ brother, Lenny, received a call from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. The coroner informed Lenny that Richard’s death was accidental due to complications from a recent fall and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report came back negative with the exception of medications that Richard was prescribed by the doctor. The family would like to thank everyone for their love and support during this time of tremendous loss,” Richard Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, said in a statement.
Although Simmons was once everywhere, Sweating on old songs Richard Simmons, a fixture in the 1980s, had seemed reclusive in recent years, but news of his death last month came as a shock. “Richard Simmons always wanted people to feel happy and satisfied,” Jane Fonda said after his death. “He went out of his way to make people happy. … He once came out of a huge cake at a Jane Fonda workout event. That was generous.”
Despite his rare appearances, Simmons remained active on social media. After his death, his staff published a post that was scheduled to go out on July 14, the day after his death. The post depicted him wearing an orange NASA jumpsuit and carried the caption: “Let me fly you to the moon so we can stare at the stars. Love, Richard.”
In his last interview, which the people Simmons said on the day of his death that he wanted to turn his life story into a Broadway show with songwriter Patrick Leonard. He also expressed existential anxiety. “How do you deal with loss?” he said, perhaps reading from a note to Leonard. “It touches your heart. Some people shed a lot of tears, some people stare up at the sky. It’s so hard to say goodbye. Here’s what I know: When the time comes for us to go, the beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and a hello.”
