Richard Simmons dead at 76: Legendary fitness guru passes away at his LA home day after his birthday

Legendary fitness guru and TV star Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to Simmons' home earlier on Saturday after a call from his housekeeper. 

ABC News report that Simmons, who revealed in March he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, died of natural causes and there is no suspicion of foul play. 

It comes a day after Simmons turned 76 and posted a message to fans on Facebook.

His message read: 'Thank you...I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday. Love, Richard'. 

Legendary fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76 in Los Angeles

Simmons posted a message to his Facebook on Friday as he celebrated his birthday

On Friday, Simmons also revealed his fun plans to celebrate his birthday in a very rare interview.

He told People: 'But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I'm a vegetarian.'

Reflecting on turning 76, he added: 'I feel good! I am grateful that I'm here, that I am alive for another day. I'll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.' 

Simmons, who grew up in the French quarter of New Orleans before settling in California, weighed 268 pounds when he graduated from high school, his website said.

His own story of struggling with weight loss, where he tried everything from fad diets to laxatives before settling on exercise and better lifestyle choices, inspired millions to do the same.

Simmons became a master of many media forms, sharing his hard-won weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime 'Richard Simmons Show' and author of best-selling books and the diet plan Deal-A-Meal.

He also opened exercise studios and starred in exercise videos, including the wildly successful 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' line, which became a cultural phenomenon. 

Simmons' daytime show was seen on 200 stations in America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. His first book, 'Never Say Diet', was a smash best-seller.

He was known to counsel the severely obese, including Rosalie Bradford, who held records for being the world's heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons for helping him lose 700 pounds. 

Simmons burst into the spotlight in the 1970s and 80s with his gyms and fitness videos

After winning a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity, Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014. 

Simmons revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer in an emotional Facebook post in March after discovering a 'strange looking bump' under his right eye. 

After calling a dermatologist, the fitness trailblazer recalled feeling 'a little bit nervous' after the doctor looked at his mysterious bump 'through a magnifying mirror.'

'He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope,' the New Orleans native told his fans. 'He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word.'

He continued: 'I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.'

Simmons was then told he had to go to 'a cancer doctor right away.'

To treat the cancer, he said his doctor explained that he needed 'to burn' his 'skin to remove the cancer cells.'

'There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument,' the actor detailed. 'As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can't cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes.'

Following the procedure, he was told to return in an hour and a half to see if they 'got it all out.'

'After driving around the city, I went back to some sad news,' he noted. 'I didn't get it all out. He burned my face again. This time was worse than before...It was deeper. I did not cry this time but I did grit my teeth.'

Simmons won a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity

Simmons went on to reveal in a second post that the 'third time was a charm' and they removed 'all the cancer cells out.'

'Before I left, he checked my arms, my back, my chest and my legs. I had a little Frankenstein under my right eye for a while,' he continued. 'He gave me some cream to put on it which I did religiously. Because of his fine work I don't have a scar.'

The skin cancer announcement came just days after the reclusive star sparked fears he was dying with a worrying social media post.

He posted on X and Facebook: '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.

'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.'

In a later post, Simmons apologized and said he was 'sorry for the confusion'.

'Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me,' the fitness celebrity wrote on a post on X. 'I am not dying.'

The media figure, who was known for his formerly outgoing personality, abruptly stopped making public appearances in 2014, and many of his fans voiced their concerns about his well-being over the following years.

However Simmons' spokesman Tom Estey provided a statement to the New York Post in 2022 and expressed that he was 'happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.'