Richard Simmons reportedly refused medical treatment after falling in the bathroom the day before he was found dead.
According to TMZThe fitness guru and reality TV star fell in the bathroom of his West Hollywood home on Friday night after feeling dizzy.
But when his housekeeper came to help him, she told Simmons to go see a doctor.
It was stated that she did not want to go see a doctor because it was her birthday and told him that she would consider going to see a doctor on Saturday.
But at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the housekeeper found Simmons dead on the floor next to his bed.
Richard Simmons reportedly refused medical treatment after falling the day before he died
Simmons posted a message on his Facebook on Friday while celebrating his birthday.
Police responded to the housekeeper’s call, but he was pronounced dead at the scene with no obvious or external signs of injury.
On the same day of her bathroom fall, Simmons posted a message to her fans on Facebook to celebrate her birthday.
Her message read: “Thank you… I’ve never had so many messages about my birthday in my life! I’m sitting here writing emails. Have a lovely rest of Friday. Love, Richard.”
On Friday, Simmons also revealed her fun plans to celebrate her birthday in a very rare interview. He told People: “But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian.”
Reflecting on his 76th birthday, he added: “I feel good. I’m grateful to be here, to be alive another day. I’m going to spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is helping people.”
Simmons, who grew up in New Orleans’ French Quarter before settling in California, weighed 268 pounds when he graduated from high school, according to his website.
Her own story of weight loss struggle, where she tried everything from fad diets to laxatives before settling on exercise and better lifestyle choices, inspired millions to do the same.
Images show Simmons’ body being removed from his West Hollywood home on Saturday.
Images show the coroner wheeling Simmons’ body out of her home on a stretcher on Saturday.
Simmons rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s with his gym and fitness videos.
Simmons became a master of many media outlets, sharing his hard-earned weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime talk show “Richard Simmons Show” and as the author of best-selling books and the Deal-A-Meal diet plan.
He also opened exercise studios and starred in exercise videos, including the hit “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” which became a cultural phenomenon.
Simmons’ daytime show aired on 200 stations in the United States, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. Her first book, “Never Say Diet,” was a best-seller.
He was known for advising severely obese people, including Rosalie Bradford, who held the record for being the world’s heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons with helping him lose 700 pounds.
After gaining a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity, Simmons stepped away from the spotlight in 2014.
Simmons revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer in an emotional Facebook post in March after discovering a “strange-looking lump” under her right eye.