Jane Fonda's heartfelt tribute to Richard Simmons
Legendary fitness guru Richard Simmons passed away on Saturday, just one day after celebrating his 76th birthday.
Tributes are flowing in for the beloved fitness guru, with Jane Fonda honouring his memory through a heartfelt post on Instagram.
“Richard Simmons always wanted people to feel good and be happy," Fonda began in her tribute shared one day after Simmons' passing.
"He would go out of his way to make people happy. I often wondered if maybe nobody had made him happy when he was a little boy,” she shared with a throwback photo of the pair.
“He was generous. He gave of himself, of his time, to make people happy. He once popped out of a huge cake at the launch of some Jane Fonda WORKOUT event. That was generous.”
She continued to praise Simmons' generosity, before adding that she - like many who knew Simmons - had lost touch with him as he stepped back from public life over the past decade.
"I saw him last when I took him and a boyfriend of his to lunch at the Polo Lounge. The relationship was new and he was proud. I never saw or heard from him again and, like many thousands of others, I’ve mourned his absence from my life," she wrote.
"I hope he felt the love so many were sending him these last years. I hope it made him happy. I read he died peacefully in his sleep in his very white home.
"Rest in Peace, Dear Richard."
Lenny Simmons, his brother, has urged fans to remember the late fitness guru for the happiness he brougt them.
"I don't want people to be sad about my brother. I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people's lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help," he wrote.
"So don't be sad. Celebrate his life," Lenny urged.
Simmons rose to fame in the 1980s after he became a TV fitness icon. He was known for his boisterous personality, his curly hair and colourful Lycra outfits.
Images: Instagram