Richard Simmons opened up about his gratitude and legacy in an interview just two days before he died.
Richard Simmons was notoriously reclusive in recent years, but the iconic fitness guru actually gave an interview just two days before he died -- in which he opened up about his life, legacy and the impact he had on his many fans.
Simmons died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles, just one day after his 76th birthday. The cause of his death is not yet known.
Two days earlier, Simmons gave an exclusive phone interview to People, in which he reflected on his birthday, saying, "I'm grateful I get to live another day."
Though rumors about his health have run rampant, Simmons said that he was still hard at work every day, emailing fans and talking to them on the phone. He admitted to having skin cancer removed earlier in the year. "Basal cell carcinoma. It was scary. But it never came back," he shared.
"So many people have cancer," Simmons reflected. "I call them, I sing to them. 'You're gonna get through this. You just have to believe that.'"
"I know people miss me. And you know what? I miss them, too," he shared of his private life. "But I'm able to reach them through phone calls… and through emails. And I do leave the house sometimes. But I'm in disguise."
In addition to speaking with fans, Simmons was working with songwriter and composer Patrick Leonard to craft a Broadway musical about his life. He told People he had already written 14 songs for the show, which spans his whole life "from selling pralines in New Orleans at a candy store when I was a kid, to when I decided to retire."
Stepping away from his public career, Simmons shared, was a difficult decision -- even to this day.
"When I retired, I thought someone else was going to take my place. That somebody would open up studios for people who needed to lose weight or didn't feel good about themselves, but I haven't seen that," he mused. "I mean, there's always been places for fit people."
Despite his one-of-a-kind life and legacy, Simmons demurred when lauded as an irreplaceable figure.
"I don't hear the word legend. I don't hear the word icon," he said. "I never lived a celebrity life. I never thought of myself as a celebrity."
"People don't know this, I'm really a shy person and a little bit of an introvert. But when that curtain goes up that's a different story. I'm there to make people happy," he continued. "But the accolades I get from emails... they'll say, 'I'm your No. 1 fan.' And I just write back, and I say, you know, 'Don't say that because I'm a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too.'"
His impact on fans will certainly endure, and perhaps we'll also get to remember him in that Broadway show. In his final interview, Simmons shared a lyric he'd recently written -- which echoes differently after his death.
"How do you deal with loss? It takes a toll on your heart. Some shed many tears, others stare at the sky. It's so hard to say goodbye. Here is what I know when it's time for us to go, beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and a hello."
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