Richard Simmons

Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2024) was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, ''The Richard Simmons Show'' and later the ''Sweatin' to the Oldies'' line of aerobics videos.

Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight in a supportive atmosphere, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and was a frequent guest on late-night television and radio talk shows, such as the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and ''The Howard Stern Show''.

He continued to promote health and exercise through a decades-long career, and later broadened his activities to include political activism, such as in 2008 in support of a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.

By March 2016, after his not having made any major public appearances since February 2014, speculation and expressions of concern about his well-being began to surface in the media. Both Simmons and his publicist have said the concerns were unwarranted and that he is simply choosing to be less publicly visible.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Simmons began uploading archive content to his YouTube channel (recorded before his decision to withdraw from public life) to help people stay fit at home. Provided by Wikipedia