Richard Simmons, a fitness guru who mixed laughs and sweat, dies at 76

NEW YORK (AP) — Fitness guru Richard Simmons has died. Publicist Tom Estey tells The Associated Press that Simmons died Friday at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, a day after his 76th birthday. Simmons was a court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who shared his hard-won weight loss tips as the host of the Emmy-winning daytime “Richard Simmons Show" and the “Sweatin' to the Oldies” line of exercise videos, which became a cultural phenomenon.