Pauly Shore pens moving tribute to 'one of a kind' Richard Simmons following his passing at age 76... after late star disapproved of unauthorized biopic
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Pauly Shore shared a moving tribute to fitness guru, Richard Simmons, following the news of his passing on Saturday at the age of 76 in Los Angeles.
Simmons died of natural causes in his LA home just one day after celebrating his birthday, and there is no suspicion of foul play, according to ABC News.
A biopic based on the fitness personality is currently in development at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization. However, Richard disavowed the unauthorized project - with Shore pleading in the past with Simmons to change his mind.
Taking to X, Shore, 56, uploaded a throwback photo of Simmons and reflected on his 'amazing life' and 'story.'
'I just got word like everyone else that the beautiful Richard Simmons has passed,' Pauly began.
Pauly Shore, 56, shared a moving tribute to fitness guru, Richard Simmons, following the news of his passing on Saturday at the age of 76 in Los Angeles; seen in January in Park City, Utah
Simmons died of natural causes in his LA home just one day after celebrating his birthday, and there is no suspicion of foul play, according to ABC News; late star seen in 1992 in L.A.
'I hope you're at peace and twinkling up in the heavens,' he continued, adding, 'Please give my mother Mitzi and my father Sammy a big hug and a kiss for me.'
'You're one of a kind, Richard. An amazing life. An amazing story. They broke the dolphin shorts when they made you. Rest in peace, my friend. Rest in peace,' Shore concluded.
Pauly portrayed Richard in a short film titled, The Court Jester, which was written and directed by Jake Lewis. The 10-minute project premiered in Park City, Utah earlier this year in January - and received a standing ovation from the audience.
Jesse Heiman also starred in the short film, with the premise taking place backstage during a high-profile talk show strongly resembling The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
'I'm really excited about sharing Richard Simmons's life with the world. We all need this biopic now more than ever,' Shore said at the time in a statement, per Variety.
'Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self!'
He added, 'Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.'
A biopic surrounding the fitness guru's life is also in the works at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization - although Simmons had disavowed the film.
Taking to X, Shore uploaded a throwback photo of Simmons and reflected on his 'amazing life' and 'story'
'You're one of a kind, Richard. An amazing life. An amazing story. They broke the dolphin shorts when they made you. Rest in peace, my friend. Rest in peace,' Shore concluded; Simmons seen in 2013 in West Hollywood
A biopic surrounding the fitness guru's life is also in the works at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization - although Simmons had disavowed the film; Pauly seen in January in Utah
In January, following the short film's critical acclaim, Shore made yet another public plea to change the mind of the reclusive aerobics guru.
'Richard, what's up buddy? It's me again, sorry. Listen, watch the short,' Pauly told TMZ. 'Watch it with your open heart.'
'Don't watch it coming into it like, "I don't want to do this!" Watch it with your open heart and just be vulnerable. What do you think of it? And if you feel that it's still messed up and that doesn't track with your integrity, then let us know.'
Pauly added, 'But in the meantime we're going to try to move forward with this piece. We're going to look for writers. Let us know what you think of the short.'
Shore went on to fantasize about he and the former fitness expert having matching director's chairs with 'Richard' emblazoned on the back.
'Yeah I would love to have Richard Simmons be a part of the feature film, physically to be there with me on the set,' the former MTV VJ gushed.
'And we can kind of hold hands and have our bagel and lox every morning. He'll be like, "No! I didn't say it that way. I said it this way, you stupid f***!" And I change it. You know what I mean? We want him there.
'Ultimately, we would love, love him there. But if he doesn't want to do it then I still have to [share] his message. It's my mission to get his message out there to save lives.'
In January, following the short film's critical acclaim, Shore made yet another public plea to change the mind of reclusive aerobics guru
'Richard, what's up buddy? It's me again, sorry. Listen, watch the short,' Pauly told TMZ. 'Watch it with your open heart'; seen in January in Utah
Shortly before, Richard took to Facebook and said, 'You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore.'
'I have never given my permission for this movie. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.'
One day earlier, Simmons added, 'I wanted you all to know that I am fine and I am happy. I have had a lot of people ask me for interviews.'
'But right now I don't want to do them. It is a gray and rainy day here in Los Angeles, but my heart is filled with your kindness towards me.'
News of the legendary fitness guru and TV star's passing came to light after the Los Angeles Police Department responded to Simmons' home earlier on Saturday after a call from his housekeeper.
ABC News reported that Simmons, who revealed in March he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, died of natural causes and there is no suspicion of foul play.
Later on Saturday, Richard's body was seen being removed from his West Hollywood home. The LA County medical examiner was seen arriving at the house, where police responded to a call from Simmons' housekeeper earlier in the day.
It comes a day after Simmons turned 76 and posted a message to fans on Facebook.
His message read: 'Thank you...I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday. Love, Richard.'
'I have never given my permission for this movie. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support,' Simmons wrote
News of the legendary fitness guru and TV star's passing came to light after the Los Angeles Police Department responded to Simmons' home earlier on Saturday after a call from his housekeeper; seen in 1983
On Friday, Simmons also revealed his fun plans to celebrate his birthday in a very rare interview.
He told People: 'But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I'm a vegetarian.'
Reflecting on turning 76, he added: 'I feel good! I am grateful that I'm here, that I am alive for another day. I'll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.'
Simmons, who grew up in the French quarter of New Orleans before settling in California, weighed 268 pounds when he graduated from high school, his website said.
His own story of struggling with weight loss, where he tried everything from fad diets to laxatives before settling on exercise and better lifestyle choices, inspired millions to do the same.
Simmons became a master of many media forms, sharing his hard-won weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime 'Richard Simmons Show' and author of best-selling books and the diet plan Deal-A-Meal.
He also opened exercise studios and starred in exercise videos, including the wildly successful 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' line, which became a cultural phenomenon.
Simmons' daytime show was seen on 200 stations in America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. His first book, 'Never Say Diet', was a smash best-seller.
He was known to counsel the severely obese, including Rosalie Bradford, who held records for being the world's heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons for helping him lose 700 pounds.
It comes a day after Simmons turned 76 and posted a message to fans on Facebook; seen in 2013 in Beverly Hills
After winning a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity, Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014.
Simmons revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer in an emotional Facebook post in March after discovering a 'strange looking bump' under his right eye.
The skin cancer announcement came just days after the reclusive star sparked fears he was dying with a worrying social media post.
He posted on X and Facebook: 'I have some news to tell you. Please don't be sad. I am …. dying. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.
'Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.'
His message read: 'Thank you...I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday. Love, Richard'
After winning a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity, Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014; seen in Los Angeles in 2013
In a later post, Simmons apologized and said he was 'sorry for the confusion'.
'Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me,' the fitness celebrity wrote on a post on X. 'I am not dying.'
The media figure, who was known for his formerly outgoing personality, abruptly stopped making public appearances in 2014, and many of his fans voiced their concerns about his well-being over the following years.
However Simmons' spokesman Tom Estey provided a statement to the New York Post in 2022 and expressed that he was 'happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.'
