By Rich Mackay
(Reuters) – Fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76, multiple media outlets, including ABC News and TMZ, reported.
His housekeeper reportedly found him unconscious on Saturday morning and the Los Angeles Police Department was called. TMZ reported that police are treating the incident as a natural death.
Los Angeles police said they could not confirm Simmons’ death.
Born Milton Teagle “Richard” Simmons, the flamboyant fitness guru has become a household name, pioneering the creation of gyms as a safe place for people who were not already in optimal physical condition. In a series of social media posts this year, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Simmons, who grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans before settling in California, weighed 268 pounds (121.56 kilograms) when he graduated from high school, according to his website.
His own story of struggling to lose weight, where he tried everything from fad diets to laxatives before settling on exercise and better lifestyle choices, has inspired millions of people to do the same.