Richard Simmons’ Final Moments to Be Revealed in Rare Housekeeper Interview
ABC has previewed an unusual and deeply personal interview featuring Richard Simmons’ longtime house manager, who is poised to recount the circumstances surrounding his final moments. She will also disclose a long-guarded secret one that may explain why the celebrated fitness icon withdrew from public view for nearly a decade.
A teaser for the forthcoming special, The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special, scheduled to air May 12, introduces Teresa Reveles, Simmons’ devoted house manager. For the first time, she speaks openly about both his death and his prolonged absence from the spotlight, which began in 2014 and lasted until his passing in 2024.
A narrator’s voice cuts through the preview with a pointed question: what does the last person to see Simmons alive say truly happened behind closed doors? Reveles responds with stark simplicity. “When I came in, I saw him on the floor.”
The program promises a layered portrayal. Alongside Reveles’ testimony, viewers will hear from Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, and his wife, Cathy, as well as longtime manager Michael Catalano and close confidante Rosie O’Donnell. The special also offers rare glimpses inside the fitness legend’s Hollywood residence, a place that became both sanctuary and enigma.
In the trailer, Cathy and Lenny suggest that Simmons may have endured significant pain prior to his death at 76, which resulted from a fall compounded by underlying heart disease. O’Donnell reflects on his legacy with a poignant observation: she believed he had an extraordinary ability to love people back to health.
Simmons passed away on July 13, 2024, at home just one day after celebrating his 76th birthday.
Reveles, who remained by his side for 35 years and often described herself as more companion than employee, had previously spoken briefly after his death. At the time, she insisted he died peacefully. She discovered him in his bedroom following the fall, later telling People magazine, “When I saw him, he looked peaceful.”
Their relationship began in 1986 through an agency introduction. What followed was an enduring partnership neither could have predicted. She recalls arriving with only a small suitcase, intending to stay for two weeks at most. If things didn’t work out, she would leave quietly. Simmons had other plans.
“Where are your clothes? Where is your big suitcase?” he asked her on that first day.
She explained her tentative arrangement. His response was decisive, almost prophetic. He told her she would never leave that they would remain together until the end.
Reveles reflects on that moment now with a sense of inevitability. “And you know what? His dream came true. Somehow, he knew.”
In a final, almost haunting note, Simmons expressed gratitude just one day before his death. Speaking to People on July 12, 2024, he said, “I feel good. I’m grateful that I’m here, that I’m alive for another day.” He added that he intended to spend his birthday doing what defined his life’s work helping others.
