Are Gene Simmons and Richard Simmons related? Viral post leaves internet confused following fitness guru’s death at 76

Fitness personality Richard Simmons, 76, passed away on July 13, 2024. He was at his residence in Los Angeles at the time of death. Richard's housekeeper contacted the police after he was discovered dead and while an investigation was conducted, the cops did not find any evidence of foul play.

While the news was confirmed by Simmons' publicist Tom Estey, social media platforms were flooded with tributes. However, a few posts led to rumors that Richard was possibly linked to Gene Simmons, a member of the rock band Kiss.

The reports ignited after some users added Gene's photo to their posts. Although there was confusion regarding Gene and Richard's association with each other, others clarified the issues by sharing their responses in the comments section, writing that both were different personalities.

Notably, Gene and Richard are not related. They only share the same last name.

Before his sudden demise, Richard shared a few social media posts and even expressed gratitude to his fans for the messages they sent on his birthday on July 12. The post reads:

"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."

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Richard Simmons suddenly disappeared from the public eye in 2014 which led to certain rumors

Richard Simmons gained recognition over the years for his expertise in the world of fitness. He launched the Slimmons studio, initially known as The Anatomy Asylum, and later started appearing on television, including on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Richard eventually reduced his public appearances in 2014 and his studio was shut down in the next two years. His absence led to a lot of speculation and his friends were worried for him, with a few believing that he was being kept inside his home against his will.

One of them spoke to Daily News in 2016, saying that he was shocked to see that Simmons did not attend the funerals of his close friends. He even described Richard as the "most reliable and caring person on the planet." Richard Simmons' former assistant Mauro Oliveira also told the outlet:

"I feel that Richard is now being controlled by the very people that he controlled his whole life. Controlled in the sense that they are controlling his mail, controlling his everything. His brother, the manager and Teresa. Those three people."

Richard Simmons later denied the reports as he appeared on The Today Show in March 2016. He said in the interview:

"I've taught, like thousands and thousands of classes and, you know, right now I just want to sort of just take care of me. I just really don't want to do anything. I just don't want to be traveling anymore."

Richard's brother Lenny also spoke to People magazine, saying he was doing normal activities at home and was spending time with the birds in his garden. Lenny hinted that Richard possibly continued exercising since he was looking healthy.

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Richard Simmons was active in the world of fitness for around 40 years

The New Orleans, Louisiana native assisted a lot of people in his career to lose weight. Richard's website says that he advised many men and women to follow a better and balanced eating program and exercise routines.

Richard Simmons revealed his skin cancer diagnosis in March this year through Facebook. The post stated that Simmons had to undergo a process after consulting Dr. Ralph A. Massey where his skin was burned for the removal of cancer cells. He described the entire experience by referring to Ralph and wrote:

"There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument. As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can't cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes."

He developed an interest in becoming an entrepreneur after his graduation and initially sold pralines. His weight was around 268 pounds at the time and he slowly adopted a better lifestyle to resolve the problem.

Richard Simmons later decided to share the knowledge with the rest of the world and after arriving in Los Angeles in 1973, he planned to launch a club, aiming to help people who were dealing with similar issues related to weight.

As mentioned, he started the Slimmons studio in Beverly Hills and created fitness products like Deal-A-Meal and FoodMover.

In 1998, he even released an autobiography titled Still Hungry After All These Years. Furthermore, his fitness videos became popular among the public, selling millions of copies.