Richard Simmons is being remembered by one of his closest friends. The fitness instructor died on July 13, following his 76th birthday.
Richard Simmons is being remembered by his longtime companion, Teresa Reveles.
In a new interview with People, Reveles -- who makes it clear that she wasn't the housekeeper -- opens up about the relationship she and the late fitness guru had from the time she began working and living with him in 1986, until his death on July 13, at the age of 76.
Simmons suffered a fall at his home on the day of his birthday, July 12. Reveles tells People that she suggested that they go to the hospital, but Simmons told her they could go the next day because he wanted to ring in the occasion at home.
"'Let’s go to the hospital. Maybe you broke your leg,'" she recalls telling him. "'No, Teresa. Not on my birthday. Why don't we wait and we do it in the morning,"" she recalls him saying.
"But in the morning it was too late."
Reveles says that she found the Sweatin' To The Oldies host dead on the floor of his bedroom the following day. Reveles says that Simmons looked "peaceful" at the time of this death.
The cause of his death is not yet known, though a statement from the LAFD earlier this month said he died from "apparent natural causes."
Over the years, Reveles and Simmons would travel together, take drives and even go on walks (while he wore a disguise) around the neighborhood. On a day-to-day basis for the last 35 years, Reveles cooked for Simmons and maintained the upkeep of his house and yard. The former fitness instructor -- who took pride in taking care of his family and friends -- died "happy" according to Reveles.
"Everything happened the way he wanted. He wanted to die first, he went first," she told People. "And you know what? I'm very happy because Richard was really, very happy. He died very happy."
According to Simmons' brother, Lenny Simmons, the late icon also had other beloved members of his team whom he cared for which included his personal assistant, Michele, and the head of his social media, Darlene.
"So many people have expressed their heartfelt love for Richard," Lenny tells ET in a statement. "He reached out and helped so many people! But he didn’t do this alone. At this time we want to acknowledge 2 other special people in Richard’s life. Thank you Michele and Darlene for over 25 years of love, loyalty, dedication and support."
Last week, Lenny confirmed to ET that Simmons was laid to rest "surrounded by family and friends."
Shortly after the ceremony, Simmons' team gave his fans a look at the last social media post he put together for his fans before his death.
"From Richard’s staff: 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," it read alongside a photo of Simmons wearing a NASA space jumpsuit and giving the camera a smile.
"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. Here is the post Richard had planned for you for Sunday July 14, 2024."
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