Richard Simmons’ Cause of Death Remains Unknown Amid Burial

Despite funeral services and burial, no cause of death has been determined and made public for beloved fitness guru, Richard Simmons. TMZ reports he was laid to rest a week after his passing and notes that he’s been buried at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary. He was discovered unresponsive in his Los Angeles home by his housekeeper just one day after his 76th birthday. Despite efforts, he was sadly pronounced dead. Investigators believe his death was due to natural causes.

Richard took a tumble in his bathroom the night before his death after feeling dizzy earlier on. Despite encouragement from his housekeeper to seek treatment, he declined as he was happily celebrating his birthday.

In recent years, Simmons had become a recluse. Things were so bad that TMZ did an investigative documentary to locate his whereabouts. As it turns out, he preferred a life of privacy after so many years in the spotlight. There were rumors he was transitioning to become a woman, while others were worried about his mental health and fans had gone as far to have the police perform wellness checks. His team insisted he was fine, and he resurfaced in the moths before his passing and had been communicating with fans via email, and sharing updated via his Facebook page.

In May 2024, Simmons told TMZ that he was emailing as many as 200 emails a day, as well as making 15 to 20 personal calls to those dealing with health and weight issues. 

“That’s why I started to do the audio messages, there’s so many unhappy people. I get up every morning and email people. I’ve done 200 emails today so far … I want to bring everyone hope,” he told the outlet at the time through tears. He remained out of the public eye.