Richard Simmons’s brother is opening up about his life and legacy, nearly three months after his loss of life.
In the course of the late health guru’s celebration of life at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Saturday, Oct. 5, his brother Lenny Simmons spoke about Richard’s life and background — in addition to how his religion drove him to seek out his true calling in life.
Calling the eulogy “God’s Plan For Richard Simmons: A Tribute,” Lenny spoke about how his brother was all the time in quest of methods to depart his mark on the world and assist others.
Richard died on July 13, the day after his 76th birthday. A small funeral was held for him on July 19, and he was buried on the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles.
Two days earlier than his loss of life, Richard gave what could be his ultimate interview to PEOPLE, throughout which he was requested what it meant to be referred to as “a legend.” He replied, “I do not hear it in any respect. I do not hear the phrase legend. I do not hear the phrase icon. I by no means lived a star life. I by no means considered myself as a star.
Right here, learn Lenny’s tribute to his late brother in full:
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free day by day e-newsletter to remain up-to-date on the very best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from celeb information to driving human curiosity tales.
courtesy of Lenny Simmons
If you’re an individual of religion, you consider that God has a plan for all of us. Someday his plans take some time to occur. So, how lengthy did take for my brother, Richard Simmons, to seek out out what God had deliberate for him? Let me inform you a little bit story.
Richard was born Milton Teagle Simmons on Thursday, July 12, 1948, at Touro Infirmary Hospital at 11:17 AM. He was named after his Uncle Milton, whose nickname was Dick, so my mother and father referred to as him Dicky.
Our father was Leonard Douglas Simmons, a renaissance man who began out in present enterprise in vaudeville when he was a young person. After being discharged from the military on the finish of World Warfare I, he went to New York and sang within the refrain on many Broadway reveals. He then went to Hollywood to change into a movement image actor in 1927, the place he appeared in a number of the final silent and first speaking motion pictures.
Later he got here again to New York and have become a grasp of ceremonies at nightclubs. It was there he met our mom Shirley Satin in 1937, they usually quickly grew to become a pair.
courtesy of Lenny Simmons
Shirley was born Sadie Wachtinsky, the third daughter of Jewish immigrants from the small village of Korsun, which now’s in Ukraine.
Shirley preferred modeling and dancing so she moved to New York from Philadelphia to get a job there. Since this was in the course of the Nice Despair, Shirley took any job that she may get, so [she] grew to become a burlesque and fan dancer in nightclubs.
In 1939, our mother and father got here right down to New Orleans for my father’s two-week job at a nightclub within the French Quarter. They fell in love with the town, its folks and the meals. So, they determined to make New Orleans their house.
After my father was discharged from the Military Corps on the finish of World Warfare II, Leonard and Shirley determined to start out a household. I got here alongside in 1946 and Richard adopted twenty months later in 1948.
Dicky and I had a cheerful childhood rising up within the French Quarter. We attended St. Louis Cathedral Parochial College and went to mass each Sunday on this stunning church. We each graduated from Cor Jesu Excessive College (which is now Brother Martin Excessive College).
In 1966, Dicky determined that he had a vocation to change into a Catholic priest. He stated wished to assist folks. However earlier than he went to the seminary, he modified his thoughts. God has different plans for him. He graduated from Florida State College in 1970 with a Bachelor of Wonderful Arts diploma. He had even spent a semester in Florence, Italy, finding out artwork and design.
After commencement, Dicky, with diploma in hand, went to New York Metropolis to seek out his dream job within the Large Apple in business artwork, however due to a recession that yr there have been no jobs accessible. He got here again house to New Orleans dejected, and Mother acquired him a job at Maison Blanche on Canal St. promoting males’s shirts and ties in the course of the Christmas season.
After the vacations, Shirley helped him get a place being a gross sales consultant for Coty’s Cosmetics, the identical firm that Mother was employed as a beauty guide at Maison Blanche. Dicky determined he wanted a extra skilled title, so he began calling himself Richard Simmons
He traveled across the nation from one shopping center to a different for the corporate. They transferred him to Los Angeles in 1973. He referred to as my mother and father to inform them that he was quitting his job as a result of he was bored with touring and wished to remain in Los Angeles. Little did he know that he would journey nearly 300 days a yr inside two years.
We had been all questioning what he would do subsequent together with his life. However God had different plans for him. He finally acquired a job as a waiter and a maître d’ at an Italian restaurant referred to as Derricks Second Flooring. His infectious persona and humor introduced in additional clients to the little restaurant. All of them cherished Richard Simmons.
Quickly celebrities and producers had been coming to the restaurant simply to see Richard. One producer provided him a job to painting himself as a health skilled on the daytime cleaning soap opera, Basic Hospital. His recognition skyrocketed.
So, on the age of 26, Richard Simmons lastly knew what God wished him to do. He wished Richard to assist folks, inspire folks, encourage folks to get wholesome and drop pounds and get match and have enjoyable doing it.
courtesy of Lenny Simmons
Sadly, we misplaced Richard the day after his 76th birthday on July 13, 2024. I misplaced my solely brother, however all of you misplaced a good friend, a trainer and a motivator.
When my spouse Cathy and I had been flying again house to New Orleans from Los Angeles after attending his funeral with solely eight folks on the service, we made a promise to my brother that we might have a Celebration of his Life in his personal hometown.
We’re all so grateful and humbled for the outpouring of affection and assist that you’re giving my brother.
I need to allow you to all in on a little bit secret: Richard is carrying his tank prime and shorts beneath his garments simply in case God’s ultimate plan for him is to get all of the angels and saints in Heaven into form. Richard Simmons will ceaselessly be “Sweating with the Holies.”
