Why is Richard Simmons famous?

Richard Simmons hosted the “Richard Simmons Show” from 1980 to 1984, focusing on personal health and fitness.

The program went on to win four Daytime Emmys.

The perennial 1980s workout personality defined by his uplifting spirit died on Saturday morning, said his longtime publicist Tom Estey.

The television’s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better.

He became 76 on Friday.

Los Angeles police and fire departments said they responded to an LA house where a man was declared dead from natural causes.

Neither provided a name, but The Associated Press matched the address and age to Richard Simmons through public records.

Simmons, who had been diagnosed with a skin disease in March 2024, had of late dropped out of sight, sparking speculations about his health and well-being.

His aerobic exercise videos were hits, including the 1988’s “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” and the instalments that followed in 1990 and 1991.

Simmons told CNN in 2003, that his experience as an overweight child put him on a path toward fitness.

Due to his playful personality and calm smile, Richard Simmons was able to leverage early fame into regular appearances on all kinds of TV shows.

He was in “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” to several game shows, including “Match Game” and “The New Hollywood Squares.”

Richard Simmons was a late-night fixture throughout the 1990s and 2000s on shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman.