Fitness icon Richard Simmons died on July 13 at his Los Angeles home after several years out of the spotlight. He was known for his rhinestone tank tops, infectious energy, best-selling self-help books on fitness and lifestyle, and regular television appearances. general Hospital The final few years of David Letterman’s life were kept uncharacteristically private, leaving fans to question the nature and quality of his life.
For a man who helped so many, few knew about his personal life — until now. Teresa Reveles, a housekeeper who worked for Simmons for 35 years, talks about her life with the star and the harrowing moment she found him dead and called 911.
While working for Simmons, Reveles oversaw the care of the house and yard, and also cooked, and it was she who found Simmons in his bedroom on July 13. She broke her silence in an interview. people.
“I can’t stop crying,” she said in an interview. “I still can’t believe what happened.”
“When I saw him, he seemed calm,” she said, but she thinks seeing him with his fists clenched may have caused him to have a heart attack. “I had a heart attack a few years ago, and so did my hands.” The official cause of death has yet to be released.
But even in his pain, Rebeles made one thing clear: Simmons died happy and enjoyed a simple life.
Every night, the family of skunks would come over to Simmons’ home in West Hollywood, California, and Simmons would hand-feed them peanuts. The animals became so friendly with him that they even touched noses.
Born in 1948, Simmons grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the French Quarter. His father was an emcee and his mother was a touring fan dancer. He also had an older brother named Leonard. Simmons struggled with overeating from the age of four, and continued to gain weight until he reached 268 pounds after graduating from high school. He moved to Los Angeles in the ’70s and became interested in fitness. He eventually opened Ruffage and the Anatomy Asylum, a combination salad bar and exercise studio aimed at building a support system.
Needless to say, the rest is history: Simmons’ popularity with motivational training classes led to him hosting his own TV series. The Richard Simmons Show It aired from 1980 to 1984 and won four Emmy Awards. The Dr. Oz Show, Simmons helped reduce the human body weight by approximately 12 million pounds.
Then, for the past decade, Simmons disappeared from the public eye.
“Before that, he wasn’t home,” Reveles said. “He’d come home every once in a while for a weekend, then have to come back on Tuesday, then go away for 10 days, come back home to get some clothes, see the dogs for two days, and so on.”
Media attention focused on Rebeles in the years since he closed his fitness studio in 2016 and disappeared.
“They said crazy things, like I had him locked up in my house, but that was never true. The press followed me everywhere, but I never spoke to them.”
Simmons claimed he had heard all the rumors and discussions about his absence but never actually left. He spent his days doing what he wanted, calling and emailing his fans, and frequently leaving his home, though he was disguised. Reveles said he wore a mask and a wig.
“We would go out in our cars,” Reveles said, “but sometimes no one would know him on the street because he wouldn’t talk.”
A few days before his death, Simmons surprised Rebeles with a diamond pin badge as an early anniversary gift.
Reveles still remembers the day he first joined Simmons in 1986.
“When I come here, Richard is like, ‘Where are your clothes? Where are your big suitcases?'” Reveles said. “I say, ‘I just brought a small suitcase. I’m just trying for two weeks. If you don’t like me or you don’t like my cooking, I can’t work.'”
Simmons told her: “Theresa, come inside. You’re never leaving. We’re going to be together until I die.”
“And guess what?” Rebeles continued. “His dream came true, and somehow he knew it.”
