4 Are Now Gone : Simmons, Ruth, and Colbert

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NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Simmons, television’s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday. He turned 76 on Friday.

Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist Tom Estey said in an email to The Associated Press. He gave no further details.

Los Angeles police and fire departments say they responded to a house — whose address the AP has matched with Simmons through public records — where a man was declared dead from natural causes.

Simmons, who had revealed a skin diagnosis in March 2024, had lately dropped out of sight, sparking speculating about his health and well-being. His death was first reported by TMZ.

Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who became a master of many media forms, sharing his hard-won weight-loss tips as host of the Emmy-winning daytime “Richard Simmons Show” and author of best-selling books and the diet plan Deal-A-Meal. He also opened exercise studios and starred exercise videos, including the wildly successful “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” line, which became a cultural phenomenon.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. She was 96.



Westheimer died on Friday at her home in New York City, surrounded by her family, according to publicist and friend Pierre Lehu.



Westheimer never advocated risky sexual behavior. Instead, she encouraged an open dialogue on previously closeted issues that affected her audience of millions. Her one recurring theme was there was nothing to be ashamed of.



“I still hold old-fashioned values and I’m a bit of a square,” she told students at Michigan City High School in 2002. “Sex is a private art and a private matter. But still, it is a subject we must talk about.”



Westheimer’s giggly, German-accented voice, coupled with her 4-foot-7 frame, made her an unlikely looking — and sounding — outlet for “sexual literacy.” The contradiction was one of the keys to her success.

Shannen Doherty has died after years living with cancer, PEOPLE has confirmed. She was 53.

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease," Doherty's longtime publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 14.



"The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace," Sloane continued.



The Beverly Hills 90210 star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and spoke candidly to PEOPLE in November 2023 about her Stage 4 breast cancer, which had by then spread to her bones, saying at the time that she didn't "want to die."



“I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better,” she told PEOPLE. "I’m just not — I’m not done.”

Following her 2015 diagnosis, the actress revealed in April 2017 that she had gone into remission, though by 2019, the cancer returned. The following year Doherty announced her diagnosis of metastatic stage 4 cancer. Then, in June of 2023, the actress shared that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery.



In June 2023, she shared on Instagram that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery five months earlier to remove a brain tumor, which she had named Bob.



“He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology,” she told PEOPLE in August 2023. “It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life.”



Despite that, the actress was determined to continue working as she lived with the disease.

Pat Colbert, who starred in "Dallas" as Oil Baron Club manager and host Dora Mae, has died, according to reports. She was 77.



Colbert died June 23 at home in Compton, California, her sister, Tami Colbert, told The Hollywood Reporter and The Los Angeles Times. Her cause of death is unknown, but the actress suffered from three strokes in the last decade, Tami Colbert told the outlets.



Pat Colbert starred as Mae in "Dallas" across 67 episodes, from 1983 to 1991 starting in Season 6. She was the only recurring Black character in the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

May they all rest in peace