Richard Simmons expressed gratitude for life in final interview before passing

Beloved fitness guru Richard Simmons shared his gratitude for life in an interview published just a day before his unexpected passing.

Speaking to People Magazine, Simmons expressed, “I feel good! I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day.”

The fitness icon, who passed away on Saturday, July 13 — just hours after celebrating his 76th birthday — expressed how he was planning to spend his birthday

“I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people,” he shared.

He even joked about indulging in “just one” Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie, a rare treat for the health-conscious vegetarian.

“But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian,” he joked.

Rising to fame in the 1980s, Simmons became a household name as a flamboyant fitness instructor and health advocate.

Expressing his gratitude for the shower of birthday wishes from fans, he wrote on his social media, “Thank you… I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday,”

Over the weekend, Simmons was found unresponsive by his housekeeper and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Authorities reported no suspicion of foul play, attributing his death to natural causes.