clock: The Life and Legacy of Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons’ staff have been sharing social media posts that Simmons had drafted and planned to post.
In the post, which Simmons planned to post on Sunday, July 14, he was seen wearing a NASA spacesuit and standing in front of a colorful, galaxy-like background. According to a Facebook post by Simmons’ staff, the message he was trying to share was, “‘Let me fly you to the moon and look at the stars. Love, Richard.'”
Mr. Simmons passed away on Saturday, July 13th, at the age of 76.
Fitness guru Richard Simmons dies at age 76
“Hey everyone! Richard worked really hard on this post for you all. He had lots of ideas and worked on them ahead of time, going back and revising each piece before posting, revising and revising until it was exactly how he wanted it,” read the post from Simmons’ staff.
“You know, on the weekends, he just shares pictures with captions. He always has a picture picked out for the upcoming weekend by Friday and has written a caption.”
Simmons’ fitness videos became hugely popular in the 1980s, coinciding with the aerobics and Jazzercise crazes, and videos such as his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” series became iconic videos of the era.
Richard Simmons reflected on his achievements in an interview two days before his death.
A few days before his death, Simmons spoke to People magazine reflecting on his life, his legacy and his relationship with his fans.
“I decided to retire because my body told me I needed to retire,” Simmons told the outlet. “I took the time to reflect on my life — all the books I’ve written, all the videos and stuff. I never thought, ‘Oh, look what I’ve done.’ I thought, ‘Oh, look how many people I’ve helped.'”