Official report shows Richard Simmons’ death an ‘accident’

FILE – Richard Simmons speaks to the audience before the start of a summer salad fashion show at Grand Central Terminal in New York on June 2, 2006. Simmons, a fitness guru who urged the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the age of 76. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the official cause of death for fitness legend Richard Simmons, deeming it an accident and the result of “blunt traumatic injuries” from an earlier fall.

The medical examiner’s report confirms what Simmons’ family told People magazine last week.

Simmons was found unresponsive on his bedroom floor on the morning of July 13, and time of death was determined as 9:45 a.m.

He reportedly refused medical help after falling the night before he was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home.

The 76-year-old had experienced a fall on July 11 and spent the following day — his birthday — in bed, the medical examiner said on Aug. 22.

“I feel good! I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day. I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people,” Simmons told People shortly before his birthday.

The medical examiner’s report also noted that “Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” a form of heart disease, was a contributing factor.

A toxicology report showed the presence of “diphenhydramine, trazodone, and zolpidem,” but those were not considered to have contributed to the cause of death.

After spending years as a ubiquitous figure on television, Simmons had retreated from public appearances in recent years amid rampant speculation about his health. He was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2017 for what was reported to be a gastrointestinal problem.

His brother Lenny, through a spokesperson, had told People on Aug. 21, “The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.”

At a time when the fitness movement was mostly associated with the young and beautiful, the fitness guru focused on older people and those who struggled with serious weight issues, helping them overcome doubts and insecurity to improve their lives through exercise, diet and a positive attitude.

His career took off via his burgeoning appearances on television, as a guest on daytime and late-night talk shows and as the host of his own shows, “Slim Cookin” and “The Richard Simmons Show.” (CNS)