Richard Simmons’ brother is opening up about his life and legacy nearly three months after his death.
At a celebration of the late fitness guru’s life on Saturday, October 5th at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, his brother Lenny Simmons spoke about Richard’s life and background and how his faith influenced him. spoke about what inspired him to find his true calling in life.
Rennie titled his eulogy, “God’s Plan for Richard Simmons: A Memorial,” and spoke about how his brother left his mark on the world and was always looking for ways to help others.
Richard passed away on July 13th, the day after his 76th birthday. A small funeral was held on July 19, and he was buried at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles.
Two days before his death, Richard gave his final interview to PEOPLE magazine, in which he was asked what it meant to be called a “legend.” He said, “I’ve never heard of it. I’ve never heard of the word legend. I’ve never heard of the word icon. I’ve never lived the life of a celebrity. I thought of myself as a celebrity.” “No,” he replied.
Read Lenny’s full eulogy for his late brother here.
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Renee Simmons attended Richard Simmons’ funeral.
Courtesy of Renee Simmons
If you are a person of faith, you believe that God has a plan for all of us. His plans may take some time to come to fruition. So how long did it take my brother, Richard Simmons, to find out what God had planned for him? Let me tell you a little story.
Richard was born Milton Teagle Simmons on Thursday, July 12, 1948 at 11:17 a.m. at Touro Infirmary Hospital. He was named after his uncle Milton and his nickname was Dick, so his parents called him Dickie.
Our father was Leonard Douglas Simmons, a Renaissance man who began show business in vaudeville as a teenager. After being discharged from the army at the end of World War I, he went to New York and sang in the chorus in many Broadway shows. He then went to Hollywood in 1927 to become a film actor, where he appeared in some of the last silent films and the first talking films.
He then returned to New York and became a nightclub host. There in 1937 he met our mother, Shirley Satin, and they soon became husband and wife.
A celebration of life image.
Courtesy of Renee Simmons
Shirley was born Sadie Vaccinsky, the third daughter of Jewish immigrants from the small village of Korsun in what is now Ukraine.
Shirley loved modeling and dancing, so she moved from Philadelphia to New York to get work. It was during the Great Depression, so Shirley took any job she could get, becoming a burlesque dancer and a fan dancer in nightclubs.
My parents came to New Orleans in 1939 when my father took a two-week job at a nightclub in the French Quarter. They fell in love with the city, its people, and the food. So they decided to make New Orleans their home.
After their father was discharged from the Army Corps at the end of World War II, Leonard and Shirley decided to start a family. I went along in 1946 and Richard followed 20 months later in 1948.
Dickie and I had a happy childhood in the French Quarter. We attended St. Louis Cathedral Parish School and attended Mass every Sunday in this beautiful church. We both graduated from Col Jess High School (now Brother Martin High School).
In 1966, Dickie decided he had a calling to become a Catholic priest. He said he wanted to help people. But before going to seminary, I changed my mind. God has other plans for him. He graduated from Florida State University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also spent a semester in Florence, Italy, studying art and design.
After graduation, Dickie, diploma in hand, went to New York City to find his dream commercial art job in the Big Apple, but due to the recession that year, there were no openings. He returned to New Orleans depressed, but his mother offered him a job selling men’s shirts and ties during the Christmas season at Maison Blanche on Canal Street.
After the holidays, Shirley helped her mother get a job as a sales representative at Coty’s Cosmetics, the same company where she was employed as a cosmetics consultant at Maison Blanche. Dickie decided he needed a more professional name and began calling himself Richard Simmons.
He flew around the country from mall to mall for his company. In 1973 they transferred him to Los Angeles. He called my parents and told them he was quitting his job because he was tired of traveling and wanted to stay in Los Angeles. Little did he know that within two years he would be traveling almost 300 days a year.
We all wondered what he would do next with his life. But God had other plans for him. He eventually landed a job as a waiter and maître d’être at an Italian restaurant called Derricks Second Floor. His infectious personality and humor drew even more customers to the small restaurant. They all loved Richard Simmons.
Soon, celebrities and producers were visiting the restaurant to meet Richard. A producer offered him a job playing a fitness expert on the daytime drama General Hospital. His popularity skyrocketed.
So when Richard Simmons was 26 years old, he finally knew what God wanted for him. He wanted Richard to help people, motivate people, encourage people to get healthy, lose weight, get healthy and have fun doing it.
A crowd gathers to pay homage to Simmons, all wearing clothing inspired by his iconic ’80s workout fits.
Courtesy of Renee Simmons
Sadly, we lost Richard on July 13, 2024, the day after his 76th birthday. I lost my only brother, and you all lost a friend, teacher, and motivator.
As my wife, Kathy, and I flew home from Los Angeles to New Orleans after attending the funeral with just eight people, I promised my brother that we would host a celebration of his life in his hometown.
We are all so grateful and humbled by the outpouring of love and support you have given my brother.
Let me let you all in on a little secret: Richard wears a tank top and shorts under his clothes in preparation for God’s ultimate plan to form all the angels and saints in heaven. . Richard Simmons will forever remain “sweating with the Holy One.”
