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Richard Simmons’ cause of death has been revealed.
The fitness instructor and TV icon died as a result of blunt traumatic injuries, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office announced on Thursday. The 76-year-old’s manner of death was ruled as an accident.
Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular was listed as a contributing factor.
RICHARD SIMMONS’ BROTHER SAYS FITNESS ICON DIED FROM ‘RECENT FALLS, HEART DISEASE’
Richard Simmons’ brother said his death was “accidental.” (Getty Images)
The star suffered a fall on July 11 and spent the following day in bed. On the morning of July 13, Simmons was found unresponsive on his bedroom floor. Authorities were called, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the statement, the deputy medical examiner concluded their examination at the department’s Forensic Science Center on July 14. Simmons’ cause of death was certified on Aug. 22.
A full medical examiner’s report will be ready by Aug. 30, the medical examiner’s office added.
Richard Simmons is seen here attending the 87th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Nov. 28, 2013 in New York City. (Scott Roth/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
The announcement confirmed what Tom Etsey, the Simmons family spokesperson, previously told Digital.
“This morning, Richard Simmons’ brother Lenny, received a call from the LA Coroner’s office,” Etsey said in a statement sent on Wednesday.
“The Coroner informed Lenny that Richard’s death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report was negative other than the medication Richard had been prescribed.”
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The LAPD told Digital that “no foul play” was suspected in Richard Simmons’ death. (Getty Images)
“The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss,” Estey added.
Simmons’ longtime caretaker, Teresa Reveles, found him in his bedroom on the day that he died.
“When I saw him, he looked peaceful,” Reveles told People magazine, noting that his hands were balled into fists.
“That’s why I know it was a heart attack.”
Richard Simmons was known for his eccentric personality, and became a staple in the fitness industry in the 1980s. He left the spotlight 10 years ago to live out a quiet, private life. (Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
She added, “I had a heart attack a few years ago, and my hands did the same.”
The day before he died, Reveles said Simmons’ leg was hurting from a fall the previous day. Simmons passed away one day after his birthday, July 12.
She told him, “Let’s go to the hospital. Maybe you broke your leg.” Simmons protested, “No, Teresa, not on my birthday. Why [don’t we] wait, and we do it in the morning?”
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Richard Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, said the fitness guru died “due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor.” (Getty Images)
“But in the morning, it was too late,” Reveles said.
Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed to Digital that “there is no foul play.”
Simmons was laid to rest five days after his death. Etsey said in a statement that he was surrounded “by only family and closest friends.”
Richard Simmons was laid to rest five days after his death, surrounded by close friends and loved ones. (Rodrigo Vaz/Getty Images)
The former fitness coach, who stepped away from the spotlight 10 years ago, told People magazine in a recent interview he was “grateful” to be “alive for another day” after his skin cancer diagnosis.
“I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day,” he told the outlet. “I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”
Simmons first became famous in the late 1970s with “The Richard Simmons Show,” appearances on game shows and late-night TV, and his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout videos, which were first released in 1988.
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“I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”
Richard Simmons once said that his goal in life was to help people. (David A. Walega/WireImage/Getty Images)
“The Richard Simmons Show” earned two Daytime Emmys for best direction and best talk show. Simmons was beloved for his upbeat and goofy personality and for connecting with regular people who wanted to get fit using his workout videos.
Digital’s Tracy Wright and Larry Fink, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
