Richard Simmons was 'grateful for being alive' shortly before death

Richard Simmons expressed his point of view in looking at life just before he passed away on July 13, 2024.

In a rare interview that was published by PEOPLE magazine, the legendary fitness personality expressed how “grateful” he was to be “alive.”

“I feel good! I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day,” the iconic fitness instructor, who died just hours after his 76th birthday, told the outlet.

Even getting candid about he planned on spending his birthday, Simmons, who passed away on Saturday, stated, “I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”

As a celebration, even though he was very cautious of what he consumed, as a vegetarian, he even revealed the he might have “just one” Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie.

The fitness star, who rose to popularity in the 1980s as a symbol of fitness and a health advocate, was reportedly found by his housekeeper, unresponsive, on July 13, 2024.

TMZ was the first outlet to break this distressing news after the paramedics declared him dead on arrival.