Fitness guru Richard Simmons fell in the days before his death, but did not seek medical treatment because he wanted to spend his July 12 birthday at home.
He died July 13.
That information was part of a report by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department, per USA Today.
Simmons’ death was ruled an accident. He died from “sequelae of blunt traumatic injuries.”
“Cardiovascular disease” was listed contributing factor in the coroner’s report.
Simmons, whose legal name was Milton Teagle Simmons, became dizzy and collapsed the night of July 11, according to witnesses cited in the report.
He was not found until 9:30 a.m. the next day —his 76th birthday — and was helped into bed by a caretaker.
“He refused to seek medical care because he wanted to spend his birthday (07/12/2024) at home and agreed to seek medical care the following morning (07/13/2024),” per the report.
Simmons spent his birthday in bed and his secretary noted his speech seemed slurred.
A caretaker left around 10 p.m. with plans for Simmons to seek medical treatment the next day.
He was found unresponsive on the floor of his bedroom next next day at about 9:30 a.m.
A subsequent autopsy revealed multiple contusions and abrasions on his body. There was also a fractured left femur.
The autopsy also found Simmons to have prescription drugs in his body at the time of his death, Fox News Digital reported.
“Toxicology studies performed on postmortem specimens revealed the presence of diphenhydramine, trazodone, and zolpidem,” the report stated.
“These do not appear to have contributed to the cause of death,” it added.
The report released from the coroner’s office was the culmination of a month’s long investigation that included witness interviews, findings from law enforcement plus the autopsy and lab work, USA Today reported.
Simmons posted on X, formerly Twitter, thanking fans for his birthday wishes.
Simmons became a prominent figure in the fitness world in the 1980s with videos such as “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” IJR previously reported.
Simmons had not been seen in public since 2014, per People.
According to USA Today, Simmons was writing a Broadway musical about his life, per his house manager, Teresa Reveles.
