Lenny Simmons, brother of late fitness guru Richard Simmons, has urged fans to remember his brother for the happiness he brought them.
Just hours after the news of the death of his brother at age 76, Lenny spoke to People about his legacy.
“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. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help.”
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“So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life,” Lenny urged.
The death of the ’80s star, which occurred on Saturday July 13 (July 14 in Australia), came as a shock to friends and family, with Lenny adding that his brother was excited about his upcoming ventures.
His death also comes just one day after his 76th birthday. Just hours before his death, Simmons took to X (formerly Twitter) with a message thanking fans for their birthday wishes.
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“Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails,” Simmons wrote.
The fitness instructor’s longtime publicist, Tom Estey, confirmed the sad news to People“The world has truly lost an angel,” he told them.
Simmons rose to fame in the 1980s after he became a TV fitness icon. He was known for his boisterous personality, his curly hair and his colourful Lycra outfits. He had his own fitness DVDs and a Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons.
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In 2014, however, Simmons retreated from the spotlight and became reclusive. The rumours became so prevalent that TMZ even created a documentary about him, titled TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons.
Though he hasn’t been seen in public since then, Simmons has been outspoken on social media in recent years, using it to communicate to fans.
The former TV personality sparked concern about his health this week when he said he was “dying,” in a post.
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“I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am …. dying. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He then added: “Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.”
The post caused many to reach out to him and resulted in his apology, as well as Estey releasing a statement on his behalf.
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“I can confirm with one hundred percent certainty that Richard is not dying,” Estey told CNN just days ago. “He’s, in fact, very healthy and happy. The sole purpose of the post was meant to be inspirational.”
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