Richard Simmons's Autopsy Revealed a Broken Leg at His Time of Death

The passing of Richard Simmons on July 13 happened just one day after his 76th birthday. The iconic fitness instructor took over TV screens across America and made a name for himself as an actor and exercise guru. Though his career had slowed down in recent years, he was working on a biopic and a musical about his life at his time of death.

Richard's cause of death was revealed to be an accident, complicated by a recent fall he had taken. In the autopsy report obtained by Distractify, it was confirmed that Richard also had a broken leg at the time of death.

According to the autopsy report, Richard was found with a "palpable fracture of the left femur," suggesting he may have had a broken leg at the time of his death. Richard suffered a fall the day before his birthday and spent the next day in bed; the autopsy confirms that he refused medical treatment after the fall.

The autopsy also confirmed that "foul play is not suspected."

"Late in the evening on 07/11/2024, the decedent reportedly had an episode of dizziness after using the bathroom and collapsed on the floor," the report reads. "It is unknown if the decedent struck his head. He was unable to get up and spent several hours laying on the floor until he was found by his caretaker. ... He was alert and responsive at the time but had difficulty with mobility."

According to the autopsy report, Richard had diphenhydramine, trazodone, and zolpidem in his system at the time of his passing, though it was ultimately ruled that these drugs "do not appear to have contributed to the cause of death."

Diphenhydramine is usually used to treat allergy symptoms, like itchy eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose; it's found in various allergy medications like Benadryl. Trazodone is used to treat depression and insomnia, and Zolpidem is also usually prescribed as a treatment for insomnia.