‘Never Thought Of Myself As Celebrity’: Here's What Richard Simmons Said About His Legend Status And Helping People In His Last Interview
Richard Simmons opened up in his last interview about the candid moments in his life. Read ahead to learn about some of the life experiences he touched on during the interview.
![Richard Simmons (CC: Getty Images) Richard Simmons (CC: Getty Images)](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/1177432428_untitled-design-2024-07-14t101527-921.jpg)
Trigger Warning: This article contains a mention of death.
Richards Simmons, a prolific fitness guru, passed away at the age of 76. Two days before his death, the leader gave an interview in which he spoke about multiple things.
Known for his helping nature, in his decades-long career in this industry, he brought smiles to thousands of faces due to his graciousness. Read ahead to know what he had to say about his Legend status, helping people, and how he dealt with bullying in his life.
Richards Simmons on the ‘Legend’ status he garnered
The fitness icon spoke with People Magazine, where he was asked about his feeling when he heard the word “legend”.
Simmons shared that he did not hear the word “legend” or “icon”. He said, “I never lived a celebrity life. I never thought of myself as a celebrity."
The General Hospital alum revealed that he was a shy person and a little bit of an introvert. Simmons continued that it's a different story when the curtain goes up. The acclaimed fitness coach added that he was there to make people happy.
Simons continued, “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 he wrote them back, saying that he was a human being just like them and that he knew that they did good things too.
Richard Simmons on his helping nature toward people
The fitness guru was known for being a helpful person. Simmons was also asked about where this nature came from. He shared that it was his parents who instilled this in him. The Slimmons founder elaborated that they did not have much money and were not Catholic, but he attended a catholic school because it was close to his house.
He shared that he had never met a nun in his life but fell in love with the nuns there. Simmons shared that one of the nuns decided to leave the order and she had no place to go. She went to his house with a small suitcase and maybe two outfits.
The fitness coach’s mother gave her clothes and his father gave the nun money for a Greyhound bus ticket so that she could go back home. He added, “I was always embroidered with caring for people.”
During the interview with the publication, Simmons also spoke about being bullied and how he dealt with it. The star added that he always bounced back and thought that he was a good person.
The Richard Simmons Show star said that the person who bullied him had their own problems. He shared his saying, which goes, “Kindness lives inside of all of us; you just have to let it out.”
The accomplished fitness coach, who brought his vivacious energy into the lives of people, passed away on July 13, 2024, at his home.
![](https://www.pinkvilla.com/assets/images/newsletter-icon.png)