After a life in the spotlight, Richard Simmons spent the last decade of his life at his home, rarely speaking with friends or venturing out Those who knew the fitness icon say that news of an unauthorized biopic starring Pauly Shore forced the fitness icon to finally emerge from his self-imposed exile "It lit a fire," says his longtime publicist of Simmons's plans for a splashy comeback—and a Broadway musical of his life story In the early-morning hours of July 8, 2024, Patrick Leonard received an email fromRichard Simmons. For the previous month the famed songwriter had been busy putting music to the biographical lyrics that Simmons—who'd spent the past 10 years living in seclusion from his flamboyant public persona—would send him, hoping they would one day become a hit Broadway musical, marking his grand return to show business. "It was a poem about dealing with loss," recalls Leonard, trying not to choke up while reading Simmons's prophetic words. "He wrote: 'It takes a toll on your heart. Some shed many tears, others stare at the sky. It's so hard to say goodbye. Here's what I know: When it's time for us to go, beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and hello.'" Harry Langdon/Getty, Anna Mjöll Leonard, who's worked with everyone from Madonna and Rod Stewart to Leonard Cohen, never got a chance to sit down at his piano and compose a melody to accompany Simmons's last installment of lyrics. Simmons's unexpected death from heart disease and complications from a fall marked a sudden, unsettling end to an iconic career that spawned bestselling books, infomercials and workout videos that sold more than 22 million copies. Reports later emerged that he had taken a tumble before he died but waved off entreaties from his live-in house manager to get medical attention. "It's been a very long year," says Simmons's brother Lenny. "But people are still taking about him—and that's given us a lot of peace." Simmons's death, however, dashed any hopes that the frizzy-haired tornado of energy and empathy would reemerge from self-imposed exile. It was in 2014 that he first retreated from view behind the walls of his home—with his doll collection, artwork and roses—in the hills above the Sunset Strip. Richard Simmons/X The move spawned wild speculation, including a popular podcast, about why he really disappeared. Just two days before his death, Simmons finally laid to rest those rumors in anupbeat interview with People—his first in more than a decade—assuring the public that he was "feeling great." As for why he turned off his spotlight, Simmons—for whom 40 years of high-kicking workouts had taken their toll on his knees—insisted the reason was fairly prosaic: "My body told me it was time." Now, a year after his passing, some of those who knew Simmons best are painting a picture of his final months, what renewed his interest in the public eye and his tragically unfulfilled plans for the future. "He was ready to come back," says Tom Estey, his publicist of nearly 30 years, "but he was going to do it on his terms." Even to those close to him, Simmons's withdrawal from public life in February 2014—the same month Hattie, the last of his six beloved dalmatians, died—was confusing. "It was the abruptness and the complete shutdown that really got people concerned," says Michael Catalano, who had been Simmons's manager since his break-a-sweat heyday. Few of his friends and business associates heard from him for nearly a decade. Courtesy of Teresa Reveles Then in January 2024 things suddenly changed after Simmons learned that actor and comedianPauly Shore was planningon starring in a feature film based on his life. "That lit a fire," says Estey, explaining that Simmons was incensed that someone besides him was trying to tell his story. Lenny describes the incident as "the straw that broke the camel's back." It forced a "recharged" Simmons—who, up until then, rarely saw anyone but Teresa Reveles, his house manager of nearly 36 years—to consider restarting his career. Within days of learning about the unauthorized biopic, hereturned to social mediawith a message denying any involvement with the film and informing his fans that he had been trying "to live a quiet life and be peaceful." Estey began receiving up to five phone calls a day from him. In the months that followed, Simmons began reestablishing contact with scores of people he hadn't been in regular touch with. Before long he was also talking with ABC'sDiane Sawyerabout sitting for a TV special on the next chapter of his life. "It was wonderful," recalls Sawyer of their conversations, "to hear him so excited, to hear that in his voice again." Death cut short Simmons's plans for the future, but his collaborators would love to see his planned musical, now his final project, realized even without him. Says Leonard: "I hope they can find a way to get this done. I think it would do what Richard spent his whole life doing—lift people up." Read the original article onPeople