Richard Simmons emailed my friend!

[Grimalkin]

Just a fun fact. We used to do his sweating to the oldies with her mom who is terminally ill. She wrote him an email about the fun memories she had of her mom while danci g to his videos, and how she appreciated his positive upbeat personality. He sent her a very kind email thanking her for writing him and asked after her mom.

I have heard lots of nice stories of that goofy man. Just thought I'd post. She called to tell me so I did not read said email.

[browncoatslytherin]

for some reason i was thinking of gene simmons and not richard simmons at first and was really confused because gene comes off as a total inconsiderate, narcissistic douchecanoe. my bad. :P

that's really cool that he did that, though. not a lot of celebrities will take the time to invest in time with fans, even just a short e-mail exchange or a bit of back and forth banter.

*edited for clarity*

[Coco]

That is cool 8-) i love how he is just himself.

[Walking Cat Bed]

I think Richard Simmons is one of the only "fitness" celebrities who's in it because of a belief that healthy people are happier, not because of societal expectations.

He's over-the-top and goofy, but in a sweet way.

(And he doesn't age. I think he's immortal.)

[littlemommy]

I STILL do "Sweatin' to the Oldies"! My kids love dancing to it.

[Geechee Girl]

I think Richard Simmons is one of the only "fitness" celebrities who's in it because of a belief that healthy people are happier, not because of societal expectations.

He's over-the-top and goofy, but in a sweet way.

(And he doesn't age. I think he's immortal.)

I agree, he always seemed genuinely kind and concerned for his audience. We also had a Sweatin' to the Oldies set at my home growing up.

[eviek]

He's a wonderful human being. I shared a meal with him when I was in elementary school because I'd done his videos with my nanny and I recognized him at a restaurant in LA. I approached him because I felt like I knew him and he acted like he knew me too and invited me to sit with him. Very lovely guy.

[GolightlyGrrl]

What a sweet story. I always figured behind the goofball persona of Richard Simmons, beat the heart of a decent, kind man. He truly seems to care about people.