"Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy. Start with a healthy breakfast.... Then there is lunch. How about a nice salad? Don’t eat your dinner too late.... Every day that you are alive you have got to move.... I have a lot of workout videos on YouTube that you can use....Tell the ones that you love that you love them... If you have time I want you to listen to a terrific song. It is by Tim McGraw it is called Live Like You Were Dying. Live today and don’t forget to pray."
RIP. He had a good life, though too one too short to satisfy the notion that an obsession with a healthy diet, healthy exercise, and healthy attitudes promote longevity. That said, I've paid very little attention to Richard Simmons, so this news is surprising.
Somewhere I read that Simmons had a small role in a Federico Fellini movie called Satyricon, or maybe Fellini Satyricon -- whatever -- pretentious trash like all of that creep's celluloid BS. According to that source, someone connected with the production made a remark to the then quite obese young man that convinced him to reform his habits.
In 1986 as Sam Kinison's career was just launching, he had a guest hosting on SNL and then the following Tuesday evening, as I recall, he appeared at the Memorial Union. My brother was in Law School at the time and was probably not swimming in cash, but he knew I needed a lift, and splurged for two last row tickets. Kinnison was excruciatingly funny, I laughed so hard my ribs were sore for several days. One of his better jokes - "What a crazy f***ing disease this AIDS is - Rock Hudson is dead, and Richard Simmons doesn't even have a cold!"
"Well, I have made it to 77 . . . without the spandex tights and all the sweat. Genes are wonderful things."
Simmons was obese when he was younger, then lost 100+ pounds by doing all the things you're not supposed to do: diet pills, over-exercising, and bulimia (he said he almost died from it). Getting to 76 after having put one's body through both extremes is nothing to sneeze at.
He is right about everyone one dying. My cellular biology prof said on the first day of class, "That every living thing begins dying the day they are born". I thought that it was a profound statement, the man was a genius.
Then fifteen minutes later he assured the class that in a decade, 1980, earth would be in a server ice age if we didn't stop using fossil fuels. The genius balloon immediately deflated.
He was always just a figure of fun so far as I was concerned so was surprised and not a little ashamed, even, when I saw this article about his having returned to the practice of the Faith: it's not a good thing to dismiss people as 'figures of fun' or anything else, is it. Tsk.
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11 comments:
He always impressed me as well-intended but a bit of a loon.
Eat well
Stay fit
Die anyway
Who wore short shorts?
RIP RS. You did a lot of good for a lot of people.
Well, I have made it to 77 . . . without the spandex tights and all the sweat. Genes are wonderful things.
RIP. He had a good life, though too one too short to satisfy the notion that an obsession with a healthy diet, healthy exercise, and healthy attitudes promote longevity. That said, I've paid very little attention to Richard Simmons, so this news is surprising.
Somewhere I read that Simmons had a small role in a Federico Fellini movie called Satyricon, or maybe Fellini Satyricon -- whatever -- pretentious trash like all of that creep's celluloid BS. According to that source, someone connected with the production made a remark to the then quite obese young man that convinced him to reform his habits.
In 1986 as Sam Kinison's career was just launching, he had a guest hosting on SNL and then the following Tuesday evening, as I recall, he appeared at the Memorial Union. My brother was in Law School at the time and was probably not swimming in cash, but he knew I needed a lift, and splurged for two last row tickets. Kinnison was excruciatingly funny, I laughed so hard my ribs were sore for several days. One of his better jokes - "What a crazy f***ing disease this AIDS is - Rock Hudson is dead, and Richard Simmons doesn't even have a cold!"
Overshadowed by Trump, but he always seemed like a nice person.
RIP...
"Well, I have made it to 77 . . . without the spandex tights and all the sweat. Genes are wonderful things."
Simmons was obese when he was younger, then lost 100+ pounds by doing all the things you're not supposed to do: diet pills, over-exercising, and bulimia (he said he almost died from it). Getting to 76 after having put one's body through both extremes is nothing to sneeze at.
Simmons seemed to be a lind person, RIP.
He is right about everyone one dying. My cellular biology prof said on the first day of class, "That every living thing begins dying the day they are born". I thought that it was a profound statement, the man was a genius.
Then fifteen minutes later he assured the class that in a decade, 1980, earth would be in a server ice age if we didn't stop using fossil fuels. The genius balloon immediately deflated.
What a sweet message.
He was always just a figure of fun so far as I was concerned so was surprised and not a little ashamed, even, when I saw this article about his having returned to the practice of the Faith: it's not a good thing to dismiss people as 'figures of fun' or anything else, is it. Tsk.
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