His accidental death has left lingering questions to some
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NEED TO KNOW
- Richard Simmons’ final years were spent with just his assistant and his house manager
- The fitness personality’s house manager, Teresa Reveles, appears in a new special to share her insights on Simmons’ last days
- The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special delves into Simmons’s complex and mysterious life
Richard Simmons' closest companion in the later years of his life was his longtime employee.
In The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special, the ABC special delving into the fitness guru's life and death on July 13, 2024 at the age of 76, his house manager, Teresa Reveles, talks about her time with Simmons, which included the final decade of his life, when the public figure decided to step away from the spotlight.
Public speculation questioned Reveles' intentions in her role in Simmons's life, with some even accusing her of holding the star in his home against his will. While a police wellness check revealed Simmons was fine, the questions surrounding Reveles continued.
As part of her investigation, Sawyer noted, "The coroner's report of what happened is filled with some answers and some still mysterious questions. For instance, there are a number of bruises… some of them new, which could have been from the night of the fall, but some of them older."
Credit: Hulu
Sawyer's review of the autopsy also indicated that "he had some significant heart blockages, but a heart attack was not the cause of death." Simmons' death was ultimately attributed to complications after a traumatic fall.
Reveles shares that she learned Simmons had initially suffered a fall on his birthday, July 12. She encouraged him to get checked out at the hospital, but he insisted that wasn't how he wanted to spend his birthday and said he would go happily the following day.
When she went up to give him sleeping medication and say goodnight, Reveles says she tried again to convince him to go to the hospital, but he wanted to wait. The investigation indicates that Simmons tried to get up at some point during the night, falling once again. When Reveles went to check on him at 9:30 a.m. the following day, Simmons was dead.
"I went and held him, and I knew it was too late to help him. I held him. I kissed him and I told him to talk to me," she said through tears.
Credit: Scott Roth/FilmMagic
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When it came to the bruises discovered, Reveles said, "That, I don't know why." She added, "He never complained about anything. And he never told me. Unless, he bruises when he was doing exercise, I don't know. Because he was doing the weights. He was doing the machines."
While speaking to PEOPLE about Simmons in the days following his death, Reveles had told people she was comforted by the fact that in his final days, Simmons was "very happy."
"I'm very happy because Richard was really, very happy. He died very happy," she said at the time.
The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
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