Richard Simmons was an icon in the fitness world, and for many of us who grew up watching him flamboyantly encourage us to keep moving and be active, his death at the age of 76 was a huge loss. The health guru may have disappeared from society in the later years of his life, but he was very active on social media, and it turns out he left one final message for his followers. Simmons’ team shared the tweet he'd planned to post July 14, and wow, it really has me in my feels.
On July 13 — just one day after his 76th birthday — Richard Simmons was found dead in his home. The cause of death is reportedly under investigation, though authorities said at the time that foul play was not suspected. Simmons’ brother Lenny and others on Richard’s team have continued to communicate with fans in the days since his passing, and it turns out the X (Twitter) post that he had planned for July 14 was pretty poignant:
Here is the post Richard had planned for you for Sunday July 14, 2024. 3/3“Let me fly you to the moon so we can gaze among the stars. Love,Richard” pic.twitter.com/aatT3LkrsTJuly 20, 2024
The reference to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” may have been in honor of Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s new movie of the same name — especially considering Richard Simmons’ astronaut cosplay — as the film hit theaters on Simmons’ birthday, July 12. However, the fact that he passed before he was able to share these words gives them a whole new meaning in hindsight.
Richard Simmons’ team explained how this posthumous message came to be, writing:
Hello everyone. Richard worked very hard on his posts for you. He had many ideas and would work ahead… going back to each one making changes until he had it just like he wanted before posting. As you know, on the weekends, he would just share a photo with a caption. He always chose his photos and wrote his captions for the upcoming weekend by Friday. So we have the post Richard planned to share with you last Sunday. We thought you’d want to see it.
Fans seemed very grateful to have one final thought from Richard Simmons, and many noted how fitting it was. The fitness guru’s death was unexpected, as he had posted a thank you message for all the happy birthday wishes:
Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday. Love, Richard
Less than 24 hours later, around 10 a.m. Saturday, a housekeeper called authorities from Richard Simmons’ home, and fire and police were dispatched. Simmons was pronounced dead at the scene.
The state of his health was not publicly known, though he was hospitalized in 2017, reportedly for “severe indigestion.” In March of this year he gave his followers a scare when he said he had skin cancer, later clarifying that he’d been diagnosed “so many years ago.”
As someone who grew up with Sweatin’ to the Oldies as a key element of my school’s P.E. program, I’m sad that the fitness world has lost this icon. We at CinemaBlend hope that Richard Simmons’ friends, family and fans can find solace in these final words from him.
