Richard Simmons is being remembered by his longtime companion, Teresa Reveles.
In a new interview with PeopleReveles — who makes it clear she was not the housekeeper — speaks candidly about the relationship she and the late fitness guru had since she began working and living with him in 1986. until his death on July 13at the age of 76.
Simmons suffered a fall at his home on his birthday, July 12. Reveles says People that she suggested they go to the hospital, but Simmons said they could go the next day because he wanted to celebrate the occasion at home.
“‘Let’s go to the hospital. Maybe you broke your leg,'” she recalled telling him. “‘No, Teresa. Not on my birthday. Why don’t we wait and do it in the morning,'” she recalled him saying.
“But in the morning it was too late.”
Reveles says he found the Sweating to the Oldies host dead on his bedroom floor the next day. Reveles says Simmons appeared “peaceful” at the time of his death.
The cause of his death is not yet known, although a statement from the LAFD Earlier this month he said he died of “apparent natural causes.”
Over the years, Reveles and Simmons would travel together, drive together, and even take walks (while he wore a disguise) around the neighborhood. On a day-to-day basis for the past 35 years, Reveles would cook for Simmons and maintain his home and yard. The former fitness instructor — who took pride in taking care of his family and friends — he died “happy”, according to Reveles.
“Everything happened the way he wanted. He wanted to die first, he went first,” she said. People. “And you know what? I’m very happy because Richard was really, really happy. He died very happy.”
According to Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, the late icon also had other beloved members of his team that he cared for, including his personal assistant and the head of his social media.
“So many people have expressed their sincere love for Richard,” Lenny tells ET in a statement. “He reached out and helped so many people! But he didn’t do it alone. At this time, we want to recognize 2 other special people in Richard’s life. Thank you Michele and Darlene for over 25 years of love, loyalty, dedication and support.”
Last week, Lenny confirmed to ET that Simmons was buried “surrounded by family and friends.”
Shortly after the ceremony, Simmons’ team gave his fans a sneak peek at his latest social media post that he prepared for his fans before he died.
“From Richard’s team: Hi everyone. Richard worked really hard on his posts for you guys. He had a lot of ideas and worked ahead… going back to each one, making changes until it was exactly how he wanted it before posting,” it read alongside a photo of Simmons wearing a NASA spacesuit and smiling for the camera.
“As you know, on the weekends, he would just share a photo with a caption. He would always choose his photos and write his captions for the upcoming weekend by Friday. So here we have the post that Richard planned to share with you last Sunday. We thought you might like to see it. Here is the post that Richard planned for you on Sunday, July 14, 2024.”
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