Richard Simmons (Fish Hooks, Hercules: Zero to Hero), one of the most famous fitness stars of the last 50 years, passed away in his Los Angeles home on Saturday at 76, NPR reports. A representative of Simmons’ was the one to confirm the saddening news to the news outlet. Furthermore, a spokesperson for the LAPD has shared that the police have done a thorough death investigation at a Hollywood Hills address, and NPR used public records to confirm that the address was, in fact, Simmons’ house. Conclusively, the police have not shared an official cause of death for the fitness star and said that there are no suspects currently.

According to NPR, Simmons had a bubbly and positive personality and fans, yet the general public could easily recognize him for his 70s-styled hair, short shorts, and glittering tank tops.

According to NPR, Simmons was beloved by fans and critics alike as he first became a fitness star in the 1970s, releasing fitness infomercials, books, videos, and even his own show, including many TV appearances. In the 1980s, Simmons released VHS cassettes of his fitness classes for people to play on their homes’ VCRs. In total, Simmons created more than 65 fitness home videos, including his most famous, Sweatin’ to the Oldies, which sold over 20 million copies in total.

A fact about Simmons, according to NPR, was that he was born with the full name of Milton Teagle Richard Simmons in the historic town of New Orleans. He shared that he was a compulsive eater when he was very young, which, consequently, made him get bullied in school because of his weight. In NPR’s Tell Me More 2008 interview, the star described his struggle to get in shape during his teenage years.

“I grew up without any physical education,” Simmons explained via NPR. “I was 200 pounds in the eighth grade. And when I graduated high school I was almost 300 pounds. I was a very…unhappy, bewildered teenager who couldn’t figure out what I wanted in life and why I had such a strong relationship with food.”

According to NPR, on his website, Simmons shared that at first, he tried to use laxatives and go on different diets. But afterward, he realized that the key to losing weight was to adopt “a lifestyle of balance, moderate eating and exercise.” That’s what made him want to pursue the job of a fitness instructor, so he could help different types of bodies to get in shape alongside him.

In 1974, according to NPR, Simmons opened a studio in Beverly Hills that shared the inspiring message to help people get in shape with fun exercises. The studio was originally named The Anatomy Asylum but then changed to SLIMMONS. Furthermore, Simmons created the first salad bars in Beverly Hills which he named Ruffage. Simmons taught fitness lessons there till 2013 when he slowly retired.

According to NPR, the star’s workout style was fun and upbeat, so people could be entertained while exercising. In a commercial he was in for Sweating to the Oldies, Simmons shared, “If you’re looking for a lively, entertaining, stimulating, humorous, colorful, frolicking, playful, inspiring, safe, low-impact workout that’s full of kicks, thrills, gusto, fervor, passion, fury, bustle and action you don’t have to look any further. This is it!”

According to NPR, historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela (Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession, Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture) shared that his classes were filled with many people and looked all different, as he taught them like no other fitness instructor ever did. “They were all ages, they were men and women. Most notably, a lot would have been considered overweight by standards at the time.”

When he retired in his 60s, according to NPR, Simmons went from being a bubbling and upbeat person to a solitary and negative one. Many of his fans were preoccupied with this sudden change in his demeanor. He didn’t even leave his own home. Some podcasts and documentaries, such as Missing Richard Simmons, have shared their thoughts on this mysterious behavior, analyzing his life in detail. In a 2022 statement, Simmons thanked his fans for their support despite him no longer working in the fitness instructing field. In a 2016 interview with The Today Show, Simmons shared that when he retired, he would have wanted to spend the rest of his days alone because of health issues.

Simmons’ fitness lessons were inspiring and helped many people overcome their weight issues. He will be remembered as an icon in the field to instructors and fans alike.