Fitness Guru Richard Simmons Dies At 76

Fitness guru Richard Simmons, known for his positive outlook and bestselling exercise videotapes, has died at age 76.

“The World lost an Angel today,” Thomas Estey, a representative for Simmons, said in an emailed statement to HuffPost.

Authorities responded to a 911 call from Simmons’ home and arrived there on Saturday morning, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told The Hollywood Reporter.

“An investigation is still being conducted,” the spokesperson said.

In his career, Simmons sold more than 20 million fitness VHS tapes and DVDs, including the iconic “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” series. His series was famous for featuring so-called “real people” over athletic models, promoting the idea that exercise was for everyone. In 2010, he claimed that he helped his followers lose 12 million pounds.

He continued to teach regular classes at his Los Angeles-based studio, Slimmons, despite his heightened fame, until he abruptly stopped in 2014.

Simmons then notably retreated from the public eye after making a public appearance that same year.

A lengthy New York Daily News report in March 2016 suggested that Simmons was being controlled and “held against his will” by his live-in housekeeper, Teresa Reveles. The fitness expert refuted the claims in the Daily News report, telling “Today” via telephone that “no one was holding me in my house as a hostage” and that he opted “to be a little bit of a loner for a while” while recovering from knee injuries.

The popular podcast “Missing Richard Simmons,” released by Dan Taberski in February 2017, once again put the spotlight on the reclusive star and his wellness. The Los Angeles Police Department visited Simmons’ home due to the renewed frenzy, reporting that he was