Jane Fonda on Sunday paid tribute to at-home fitness pioneer Richard Simmons, who died over the weekend—just one day after his 76th birthday.
She posted a photo of the pair on Instagram, the caption highlighting Simmons’ generosity and their shared history together.
“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,” Fonda wrote. “That was generous.”
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Both Simmons and Fonda helped popularize fitness in the 1980s and beyond through their at-home workout videos that make exercise accessible outside of traditional gym settings.
Emotional well-being and self-acceptance were at the core of Simmons’ exercise ethos. Days before his death, the former fitness guru wrote “enjoy your life to the fullest” on his social media.
“He would go out of his way to make people happy,” Fonda said.
She and Simmons lost touch after he withdrew from public life beginning in 2014. Fonda mentioned that she last saw her old friend over lunch at the Polo Lounge, where they dined with a new boyfriend of his. She said that was the last time Fonda said she heard from Simmons before his death.
“I hope he felt the love so many were sending him these last years,” she wrote. “I hope it made him happy.”
There is no foul play suspected in Simmons’ death, but a cause of death remains unknown.
He announced in March that he had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer that can be serious and life-threatening if left untreated.
