Richard Simmons, Exercise and Fitness Personality, Dies at 76

Richard Simmons, who for years was the face of home fitness through his wildly popular videos and energetic personality, died on Saturday morning in Los Angeles. He was 76.

A representative for Mr. Simmons, Tom Estey, confirmed Mr. Simmons’s death.

The Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department responded to an address linked to Mr. Simmons at 10 a.m. on Saturday. A Fire Department spokesman said that personnel at the scene determined he had died of natural causes.

At his Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons, and in his videos and DVDs, Mr. Simmons exuded an enthusiastic can-do spirit to inspire people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving.

Mr. Simmons stretched and jumped in contrast to other fitness gurus of the 1980s, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who exuded movie-star looks and charm.Mr. Simmons’s approach was perhaps more noticeable, and relatable, than that of his counterparts, as he spoke directly to audiences in his aerobics videos.

One video features him clapping and singing in unison with students, as they entered his studio.

“You’re actually inside my real exercise studio, Slimmons, and these are my honest-to-goodness teachers,” he said, looking to the group around him.

Mr. Simmons, whose given name was Milton Teagle Simmons, was born in New Orleans on July 12, 1948. Both of his parents were performers. His mother, Shirley, was a traveling dancer; his father, Leonard, once performed in a vaudeville act and was a master of ceremony for big bands in Chicago.