![](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/07/mixcollage-16-jul-2024-12-40-pm-2912-872x616.jpg)
Two beloved figures from the LGBTQ+ community passed away in recent days: Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who died July 12 at 96 years old, and Richard Simmons, who passed away July 13 at 76 years old. RIP.
Both rose to prominence in the early 1980s and are regarded today as some of the “original health influencers,” who used their platforms to promote health, wellness, and, above all else, acceptance.
Since their passings, an old clip of Simmons appearing on Dr. Ruth’s show sometime in the mid ’80s has begun circulating online, and it’s reminding everyone of what made them both so special.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Related*
![]()
![]()
Shaun T, Jane Fonda, Ricki Lake & others pay touching tributes to Richard Simmons
Tributes have poured in for the much-loved and hugely popular fitness instructor who died Saturday at his home in the Hollywood Hills
Westheimer began her radio call-in show Sexually Speaking in 1980, which quickly amassed a huge following that led to a TV spinoff called The Dr. Ruth Show. By 1985, it attracted two million viewers a week.
Simmons appeared on the show while promoting “Richard and the Silver Foxes,” a workout video catered to the 55+ crowd that featured appearances by his own mother, as well as the mothers of Farrah Fawcett and Sylvester Stallone and the fathers of Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman.
In their conversation, it’s clear the two really like each other as they talk about everything from their families, to the importance of diet and exercise, to the time Simmons asked his parents if he could change his name to Diana Ross.
The interview takes what could have been a cringey turn around the 4:50 mark, when the fitness guru casually asks the sex therapist if her parents were still alive.
Westheimer, of course, was born in Germany but fled the Holocaust at 10 years old and became an orphan when her parents were killed in the concentration camps.
Related*
![]()
![]()
Why we’ll always love Dr. Ruth, the LGBTQ+ ally who reminded us to “have good sex!”
In Dr. Ruth’s wise words: “Respect is not debatable.”
When she informs him about this very well-known part of her biography, he immediately apologizes and the two are able to make light of the awkward moment.
“Everyone who listens to the show knows it,” Dr. Ruth teases in the interview. “So, now I know that you’re not listening to this show!”
After sharing a laugh, the conversation carries on to focus on Simmons’ work promoting health and wellness. It ends with Dr. Ruth complimenting his ability to walk into any room and make people happy.
“I think people without a sense of humor, it’s just awful,” he says. “You must have a sense of humor. Life is too short.”
“Let’s keep that up!” Dr. Ruth agrees.
Watch.
hey scotty
i always thought they were the same person.
just like janet and michael jackson.
you used to never see them in the same place
is all im saying.
Kangol2
RIP Richard Simmons
truly one of a kind
winemaker
Sorry to hear about Richard Simmons, passing away one day before his birthday. Who recalls his ‘sweatin’ to the oldies’ he did many years ago? And as for Dr Ruth, RIP as well.