Richard Simmons’ should be remembered “for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives,” the late fitness guru’s brother Lenny wrote via Simmons’ official social media accounts Sunday.
“I don’t want people to be sad about my brother. I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives,” Lenny began. “He truly cared about people. He called, wrote, and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help.
“So don’t be sad,” he continued. “Celebrate his life! He was very excited about all of the upcoming ventures he was working on. We are in shock. Please respect the family at this difficult time.”
Simmons died Saturday at age 76. The news came as a surprise to many, as he had made no prior announcement about ill health and had even posted on social media on the same day. The enteratiner celebrated his birthday just the day prior.
Nancy Sinatra wrote of his passing, “We’ve lost Richard Simmons. To know Richard was to love him. He was one of the kindest people I ever met with a personality that lit up any room he entered, but with all of his upbeat humor and joy I always sensed a sadness about him. He was very special. Godspeed, dear friend.”
Ricki Lake also remembered Simmons on social media. She tweeted, “My heart is broken with the loss of this super special human. May he RIP. #richardsimmons I loved him so so much.”
Simmons was known for the positive spirit he brought to the weight loss journeys of thousands of people. That spirit was often on display during his numerous TV appearances, including a 2003 visit to “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Simmons appeared on the 17th episode of the show’s fifth season in a performance that has been celebrated as one of the funniest from the show’s 20-season run. In the sketch, Simmons impersonated several items that might be found on a cruise ship, such as a deck chair and a jet ski.
Watch his “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” performance below:
CBS Sunday morning shared two videos from their archives in honor of Simmons. In one, Simmons offered advice on exercise. “Look, you can sit around all day long and go on and off those flavor-of-the-month diets, but you will never succeed in your goals to feeling better until you find an exercise program you can fall in love with,” he said.
“What do you like to do? Walk, jog, run, dance, lift weights or swim, pick out one and get your workouts done. And when your machine is moving and grooving, you will definitely feel the results and benefits of exercise.”
In the second video, Simmons offered advice about fad diets from the internet. “Eat less and keep moving,” he said. “Those diets are all over the Internet with a lot of promises and a lot of snake oil.”
