Milton Teagle “Richard” Simmons was born on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and died on July 13, 2024, in Los Angeles, California, at age 76.
He was an American fitness instructor, television personality, actor, and video producer who spent decades helping overweight individuals lose weight in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
His Sweatin’ to the Oldies aerobics video series sold an estimated 65 million copies, making it one of the most commercially successful fitness franchises in American history.
Who is Richard Simmons?
Richard Simmons was one of the most recognizable fitness personalities in American culture. His signature look: curly hair, rhinestone-studded tank tops, and short shorts, made him instantly identifiable on television and in malls across the country.
Despite that flamboyant image, his core message was simple and serious: everyone deserves to feel good in their body.
He opened his Beverly Hills gym Slimmons in 1974, specifically designed to welcome overweight people who felt unwelcome at typical fitness clubs.
That mission ran through every phase of his career, from his Emmy-winning TV show to his viral Sweatin’ to the Oldies videos.
Simmons was deeply personal in his approach. By 2010, he estimated that his clients and fans had collectively lost approximately 12 million pounds over the course of his career. That figure came from years of calls, letters, and personal follow-ups he maintained with thousands of people.
He died on July 13, 2024, one day after his 76th birthday, at his Hollywood Hills home. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death accidental, caused by complications from a fall and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a contributing condition.
Early Life of Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, one of the most culturally vibrant neighborhoods in the United States. His parents, Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and Shirley May, both worked in show business.
His father served as a master of ceremonies, and his mother performed as a traveling fan dancer. He had an older brother named Leonard Jr.
Simmons began struggling with weight from a very young age, starting to overeat as a toddler. By age 15, he weighed 182 pounds as a student at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans.
His peak weight eventually reached 268 pounds. He carried those experiences throughout his adult career as fuel for empathy toward others facing the same struggles.
Before finding his calling in fitness, he worked a range of jobs. As a child in New Orleans, he sold pralines at Leah’s Pralines. Later, after moving to Los Angeles, he worked as a maitre d’hotel at Derek’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills. It was there that he noticed how few gyms welcomed people of all sizes.
His years in New Orleans, a city built around food, music, and community, shaped his belief that joy and movement could coexist. That philosophy became the engine of his entire career.
Richard Simmons Age
Richard Simmons was 76 years old at the time of his death on July 13, 2024, born on July 12, 1948. His birth sign was Cancer.
He opened Slimmons at age 26 and spent the following four decades actively teaching, performing, and advocating for healthier lifestyles across America.
Richard Simmons Ethnicity and Nationality
Richard Simmons was American by nationality, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He had French and Irish ancestry on his father’s side.
His mother reportedly had Russian Jewish heritage. He left the Methodist church in his youth and converted to Catholicism, attending Cor Jesu High School in New Orleans as a result.
Richard Simmons Height and Weight
Richard Simmons stood at 5 feet 6 inches, or approximately 1.68 meters tall. He reached a peak weight of 268 pounds (121 kg) before losing over 100 pounds, a transformation he maintained for more than 40 years.
His physical presence on stage and television, despite a smaller frame, was amplified by his energy and his signature sequined workout wear.
Richard Simmons Education
Simmons attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before transferring to Florida State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art.
He also reportedly studied art in Florence, Italy, before settling in Los Angeles. His creative background directly influenced his approach to workout videos, which he treated as theatrical productions rather than simple exercise tapes.
Richard Simmons Career
Opening Slimmons and Television Breakthrough
Richard Simmons moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Frustrated by gyms that catered only to athletes and the already-fit, he opened his own studio.
In 1974, he launched Slimmons in Beverly Hills, a gym designed specifically to welcome overweight clients, seniors, and people with physical limitations. He consulted doctors and nutritionists beforehand to build a program safe for all fitness levels.
Slimmons attracted a devoted local following, and that visibility eventually brought him to television. He landed a recurring role on the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1979 to 1982, playing himself as an aerobics instructor helping characters lose weight. Positive viewer reaction turned that cameo into a four-year run.
His television work soon expanded into his own program. The Richard Simmons Show, a nationally syndicated daytime series, aired from 1980 to 1984 and reached millions of viewers daily across more than 200 stations.
The show blended fitness instruction, healthy cooking segments, and celebrity interviews in a format that won the program multiple Daytime Emmy Awards.
Sweatin’ to the Oldies and Cultural Impact
The 1988 release of the first Sweatin’ to the Oldies video marked the high point of Simmons’ commercial career. The video featured low-impact aerobics set to classic pop and rock songs, performed alongside a cast of everyday people of all shapes and sizes rather than professional dancers or athletes. That inclusivity was deliberate and groundbreaking in the fitness video market of the 1980s.
The series expanded across multiple volumes through the 1990s and 2000s. Total sales across all fitness videos, tapes, and DVDs reached an estimated 65 million units over his career.
Simmons was a regular on the talk-show circuit during this period, making frequent, memorable appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.
He also appeared on numerous television series and specials as himself. His guest turn on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, where cast members Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie could barely contain their laughter, became one of the most celebrated episodes in the show’s run.
Other cameos included CHiPs, Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show, and Arrested Development.
Later Work, Activism, and Withdrawal from Public Life
In 2008, Simmons took his advocacy to Washington, D.C., testifying before a Congressional committee on the importance of physical education in public schools.
He supported a mandate for non-competitive physical education as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. That same energy had driven him to found the Reach Foundation, which built fitness centers for people with disabilities.
Simmons appeared in commercials for Sprint, Yoplait, Herbal Essence, and Fruit of the Loom across the 1990s and 2000s. He also appeared in an ESPN “This is SportsCenter” commercial in 2007 as the network’s conditioning coach.
By early 2014, Simmons stopped making public appearances without explanation. Slimmons closed in November 2016. The podcast Missing Richard Simmons launched in 2017 and drew enormous attention to his sudden withdrawal from public life.
He addressed concerns that year, posting on Facebook that he was “not missing, just a little under the weather.” In March 2024, he revealed a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, though his family later confirmed that cancer did not contribute to his death.
He passed away on July 13, 2024, the morning after his 76th birthday, after suffering a fall on July 11 at his Los Angeles home.
Richard Simmons Awards and Recognition
The Richard Simmons Show won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards during its run from 1980 to 1984, including for Outstanding Talk/Service Series. Simmons received an Emmy nomination for the show in 1981. He also won a Daytime Emmy for best direction during the show’s run.
USA Today and multiple major outlets recognized him across his career as one of the defining fitness personalities in American television history.
His Sweatin’ to the Oldies series became one of the top-selling fitness video franchises of all time. In 2023, just before his death, People magazine ran an extended profile marking his 75th birthday.
Richard Simmons Net Worth
Richard Simmons’ estimated net worth was $20 million at the time of his death in July 2024. His wealth came from decades of fitness video sales, his Beverly Hills gym, television appearances, commercial endorsements, book royalties, and personal appearances.
His Hollywood Hills home, which he purchased in 1982 for $670,000, was listed for sale in June 2025 at just under $7 million. In early 2026, the property returned to market at $5.799 million.
Following his death, a legal dispute arose between his housekeeper and his brother Lenny Simmons over the estate. Both were made co-administrators of the estate, though the inheritance matter remained unresolved.
Richard Simmons Wife and Kids
Richard Simmons was never married and did not have any children. He lived a single life in Beverly Hills, focusing his energy and time on helping his fans lose weight and live healthier, happier lives.
Richard Simmons Social Media
Richard Simmons maintained an active presence on Facebook during the later years of his life, using it to share fitness encouragement, respond to fans, and address public concerns about his health.
He posted a birthday message to his followers on July 12, 2024, the day before his death, thanking fans for birthday wishes. His official website, richardsimmons.com, documented his career, philosophy, and programs.
The Bottom Line
Richard Simmons’ most recognized commercial achievement was the Sweatin’ to the Oldies franchise, launched in 1988, which sold an estimated 65 million copies over his career and made aerobics accessible to people who had never seen themselves represented in fitness media.
He grew up overweight in New Orleans, reached 268 pounds as a young man, and lost over 100 pounds, a transformation he maintained for more than four decades and used as the foundation for his entire career in fitness.
His Hollywood Hills home, purchased in 1982, returned to the market in early 2026, keeping his name and legacy in the public conversation two years after his passing. We hope you enjoyed reading about Richard. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!