Richard Simmons Worried He Had Food Poisoning Before ‘Shock’ Death: Report

Getty Richard Simmons.

Richard Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, told Entertainment Tonight that Richard Simmons wasn’t feeling well the day before he died and shared that he might have contracted “food poisoning.”

“It was really a shock. He wasn’t feeling really well that day, because he said he thought he’d had some food poisoning, but he was getting better and going to bed a little early,” Larry Simmons told ET of his exercise guru brother. “So we really didn’t think anything about it.”

“We all have our bad days sometimes, you know, not feeling the best,” he said. When he found out his brother had died, Simmons told ET that he felt like his soul was “sucked” out of his body.

Richard Simmons was found dead on the floor near his bed on Saturday, July 13, TMZ reported. The cause of death is not yet clear. He was 76.

Lenny Simmons told ET he received a call from his brother’s live-in housekeeper the day after he spoke with Richard Simmons. “The phone rang, and I didn’t know why she was calling. I just talked to my brother yesterday for his birthday, which all also happened to be our wedding anniversary and she started crying, and said, ‘Your brother, I think he’s gone,'” he told ET.

Lenny Simmons Described His Brother, Richard Simmons, as ‘The Real Deal’

GettyTV Personality Richard Simmons.

Lenny Simmons also paid tribute to his brother in the interview.

“What you saw on his exercise videos, that’s the way he was. He didn’t turn anything off,” he told ET’s Nischelle Turner of Richard Simmons.

“This is the way he talked to people. He loved hugging people. I mean he did things for people that I don’t think anybody else would do. … He would actually go and visit people who were extremely obese and tried to help them,” Lenny Simmons said.

“He was even patient with me even though I’m the older brother. I always looked up to him because I said he’s the real deal. He’s the person that everybody liked, everybody loved.”

Richard Simmons Fell in the Bathroom but Refused to See a Doctor, Reports Say

GettyRichard Simmons.

According to TMZ, there was another warning sign: Richard Simmons fell in his bathroom the day before his death, but he wouldn’t see a doctor even though his housekeeper urged him to do so.

TMZ reported that it was Simmons’ birthday, so he wanted to stay home.

His housekeeper had helped him get up, TMZ reported, adding that Simmons told the housekeeper that he felt “dizzy.”

“I don’t want people to be sad about my brother,” Lenny Simmons told People. “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.”

“So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life,” Simmons told People. He added to the magazine, “He was very excited about all of his upcoming ventures he was working on. We are in shock. Please respect the family at this difficult time.”