Richard Simmons

Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2024) was an American fitness instructor, television personality, and weight-loss program promoter. He became widely recognized through his energetic television series, The Richard Simmons Show, his popular Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos, and his exercise studio, Slimmons, located in Beverly Hills, California. Over a multi-decade career, Simmons promoted exercise and proper nutrition using an enthusiastic demeanor and trademark attire that featured Dolphin shorts and Swarovski-crystal tank tops.

Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and Shirley May (née Satin). He grew up in the French Quarter alongside an older brother. During his childhood and adolescence, Simmons struggled with obesity, reaching 182 pounds by age 15 and eventually peaking at 268 pounds. He attended Cor Jesu High School and studied at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in art. While an art student, he appeared in Fellini films. He later adopted the name Richard after an uncle who financed his college tuition.

After moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Simmons worked as a waiter and maître d'hôtel before pursuing fitness. After losing 123 pounds through diet and exercise, he opened an exercise studio named The Anatomy Asylum, which initially included a salad bar called Ruffage. The gym was later renamed Slimmons, where he taught aerobics and motivational classes. His success landed him a recurring role portraying himself on the soap opera General Hospital over a four-year period.

Simmons expanded his media presence by hosting Slim Cookin and the Emmy Award-winning series The Richard Simmons Show, which aired from 1980 to 1984. During the 1980s, his Sweatin' to the Oldies workout videos achieved widespread popularity. He made regular appearances on television and radio programs, including Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show, hosted the radio program Lighten Up with Richard Simmons, and voiced characters in animated series such as Rocko's Modern Life and Fish Hooks.

Beyond media and fitness, Simmons engaged in political activism, supporting a 2008 legislative bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools under the No Child Left Behind Act. He also maintained close contact with his audience by personally responding to fan mail, letters, and phone calls. Raised by a Methodist father and a Russian Jewish mother, Simmons converted to Catholicism as a teenager. By 2010, he stated that he had maintained his own weight loss for 42 years and helped others lose millions of pounds.

Simmons withdrew from public life in February 2014, and his Beverly Hills gym closed in 2016. Despite media speculation regarding his retirement, law enforcement confirmed he was safe. In 2020, archival exercise videos were released on his YouTube channel to assist people staying fit at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simmons died on July 13, 2024.