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Richard Simmons‘ cause of death has been revealed. The late fitness guru’s brother, Lenny, received the official coroner’s report one month after Simmons was found dead in bed by his housekeeper on July 13. He was 76 years old.
“This morning, Richard Simmons’ brother Lenny, received a call from the LA Coroner’s office,” a Simmons family spokesperson told PEOPLE on Wednesday, August 21. “The coroner informed Lenny that Richard’s death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed.”
The rep’s statement concluded by noting, “The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.”
Simmons — known for his personality in the fitness and health world — spoke to the outlet just two days before his death. He discussed how he was planning to celebrate his 76th birthday, which fell on July 12.
(Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
“I feel good!” he said. “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.”
While reflecting on his career, Simmons pointed out that he was more introverted in comparison to his gregarious public persona. “I never thought of myself as a celebrity,” he admitted in the July interview.
“People don’t know this, I’m really a shy person and a little bit of an introvert,” he said during his final interview. “But when that curtain goes up that’s a different story. I’m there to make people happy. But the accolades I get from emails. I mean, today most probably, we’ll answer over 100 emails. And 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.”
Earlier this year, a biopic about Simmons was rumored to be in the works. However, the late television personality made it clear that he wasn’t on board with the project in a statement he shared to social media.
“You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie,” Simmons explained. “So, don’t believe everything you read. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
