Richard Simmons reportedly refused to see doctor after fall because it was his birthday
The night before Richard Simmons was found dead in his West Hollywood, Calif., home, he took a fall in his bathroom but dismissed his housekeeper’s plea to seek medical attention because it was his birthday, TMZ reported.
Instead, the fitness guru told his housekeeper he’d consider seeing a doctor Saturday, even though he reported feeling dizzy before his fall on Friday night. The housekeeper helped him into bed, and found him the next morning at 10 a.m., lying next to his bed unresponsive.
On Friday, Simmons posted a Facebook message, thanking friends and fans for sending him best wishes for his 76th birthday. His message read: “I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life!”
In recent years, Simmons had led a reclusive life, a stark departure from the high-profile career he once enjoyed, where he preached a lifestyle of health and fitness to global audiences after struggling with weight issues in his childhood and teen years.
Simmons’ own struggle with weight loss inspired millions of others to follow his example and adopt healthy lifestyle choices. He became famous while hosting the “Richard Simmons Show” in the 1980s. He also wrote bestselling books, opened exercise studios and starred in exercise videos, including the wildly successful “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” line. He additionally became known for his wide variety of media appearances on talk shows.
Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014, though he kept in regular contact with fans and friends. Earlier this year, he revealed on Facebook he’d been diagnosed with skin cancer, which was removed. “Basal cell carcinoma, it was scary. But it never came back,” he said. “So many people have cancer. I call them, I sing to them. ‘You’re gonna get through this. You just have to believe that.’”
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The comedy rock duo Tenacious D— made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass — has canceled the rest of their tour after Gass' remarks about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
While onstage at a concert in Sydney on Sunday, Gass was presented with a birthday cake and asked to “make a wish” by Black. Gass responded, “Don't miss Trump next time,” an apparent reference to the rally shooting a day before that left the former president with an injured ear.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black said Tuesday on Instagram. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
Following Black's statement, Gass apologized on Instagram.
“The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” he wrote Tuesday. “I don't condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment.”
The band’s “Spicy Meatball Tour” was slated to continue Tuesday night in Newcastle, hitting most major cities in Australia and New Zealand this month before returning to the U.S. for a few October dates.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is due in court to face a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a drug test at his New Mexico home in March in which he was accused of being hostile.
A bond hearing is scheduled Wednesday in an Albuquerque court on charges that include assault and interference with communication.
Jones has denied the allegations, initially posting on social media in April that they were baseless. He said at the time he was caught off guard by what he called the unprofessionalism of one of the testers and that he cursed after getting frustrated.
“However, I want to emphasize that at no point did I threaten, get in anyone’s face, raise my voice to anyone or engage in any form of assault,” Jones said.
A woman who worked for Drug Free Sport International, which conducts tests for professional athletes, accused Jones of threatening her, taking her phone and cursing at her while she and a colleague were at his home for a drug test.
According to court documents, the woman described Jones as cooperative at first but said he became agitated. She accused him of picking up her phone and recording her and her colleague, saying he was going to sue them, and later putting her phone in his pocket.
The woman told police that Jones was less than a foot away from her and that she was afraid.
Jones told police he put the phone back on the counter after realizing it wasn't his and he apologized for swearing at the woman and her coworker at the end of the test. He posted video from what appears to be a home camera system showing the woman giving him a high five before leaving. He said neither appeared scared during the interaction.
On the short list of top MMA fighters, Jones took the heavyweight title more than a year ago with a first-round submission over Ciryl Gane.
Jones was suspended for a year in 2016 for a failed drug test and had his 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier turned into a no-contest after another drug test came up positive. Jones had argued that he would have passed under standards that were revised in 2019.
From combined wire services
