Richard Simmons Often Raved About His Big Brother — All About Lenny Simmons

The world knew fitness icon Richard Simmons for the joy and excitement he brought to people via his infectious personality. In fact, when Richard died in July 2024, his big brother, Lenny, wanted people to focus on that joy, instead of being sad.

Richard spoke a lot about Lenny. He would write about him on social media, and he liked to post old black-and-white photos from their childhood, from their formal portraits to their silly Halloween outings to everything in between.

Here's what we know about Lenny, based on what his proud younger brother said about him.

Richard was born Milton Teagle Simmons on July 12, 1948, to father Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr. and mother Shirley May (née Satin).

Richard was their second child, after Leonard Jr., who'd been born 20 months before Richard, on the day before Halloween.

It was clear that Lenny played a major role in Richard's life. The fitness guru would write about him a lot on social media, including a heartfelt Facebook post about his brother in March 2017:

"Do you have brothers and sisters who mean the world to you? I had the great fortune of growing up with a wonderful older brother. Even though his name is Leonard, Jr., I called him Baba from the very beginning! I don’t know what I’d do without him. Thank you, Baba. I love you. xoxo"

In February 2024, Richard posted a thread to X (formerly known as Twitter) all about his brother. He said that when Lenny was a baby, he was "so cute my parents entered him in a beautiful baby contest. He won and received an elaborate baby book and a camera!"

Richard also said that even though his brother wasn't affectionate, that didn't stop Richard from hugging him. Richard also raved about how smart his brother was, and how he liked to mess with Lenny by touching the food on Lenny's plate even though his big brother hated that.

"Lenny’s number was called for the Vietnam war and off he went," Richard added. "I was devastated! He came back a little more serious, and really never wanted to talk about his time there."

"When he came back he worked for the government for decades," he continued. "He met a lady name Cathy and they married. I was his best man. I cried so much Cathy had to give me her handkerchief. They are now retired and dedicate their time [to] an organization named Kiwanis."

"So my brother and I ended up doing the same thing … helping people," he concluded his thread. "Say hi to your siblings for me. Love, Richard."

After Richard's death on July 13, 2024 — just a day after the star had turned 76 — Lenny posted a statement to Richard's website saying:

"Hello everyone, I don’t want people to be sad about my brother. I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote, and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help."

"So don’t be sad. Celebrate his life!" his statement continued. "He was very excited about all of the upcoming ventures he was working on." He concluded by saying that his family was "in shock" and asked folks to "[p]lease respect the family at this difficult time."

Months after Richard's passing, a Simmons family spokesperson issued a statement to People on Aug. 21, 2024, which read:

"This morning, Richard Simmons' brother Lenny, received a call from the LA Coroner's office. The Coroner informed Lenny that Richard's death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed. The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss."