Richard Simmons' body is removed from his Los Angeles home after fitness guru's death at 76

New pictures show Richard Simmons' body being removed from his West Hollywood home following the fitness guru's death at the age of 76 on Saturday.

The LA County medical examiner was seen arriving at the house, where police responded to a call from Simmons' housekeeper earlier in the day.

ABC News reported that Simmons, who revealed in March he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, died of natural causes and there is no suspicion of foul play. 

Pictures show the coroner taking Simmons' body out of his home on a stretcher with a number of police vehicles on the driveway.

Simmons died just a day after turning 76. He posted a message to fans on Facebook to celebrate his birthday.

His message read: '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. Love, Richard'. 

On Friday, Simmons also revealed his fun plans to celebrate his birthday in a very rare interview. He told People: 'But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I'm a vegetarian.'

Reflecting on turning 76, he added: 'I feel good! I am grateful that I'm here, that I am alive for another day. I'll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.' 

Simmons, who grew up in the French quarter of New Orleans before settling in California, weighed 268 pounds when he graduated from high school, his website said.

His own story of struggling with weight loss, where he tried everything from fad diets to laxatives before settling on exercise and better lifestyle choices, inspired millions to do the same.

Simmons 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 in exercise videos, including the wildly successful 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' line, which became a cultural phenomenon. 

Simmons' daytime show was seen on 200 stations in America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and South America. His first book, 'Never Say Diet', was a smash best-seller.

He was known to counsel the severely obese, including Rosalie Bradford, who held records for being the world's heaviest woman, and Michael Hebranko, who credited Simmons for helping him lose 700 pounds. 

After winning a legion of fans with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity, Simmons stepped away from the limelight in 2014. 

Simmons revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer in an emotional Facebook post in March after discovering a 'strange looking bump' under his right eye. 

The skin cancer announcement came just days after the reclusive star sparked fears he was dying with a worrying social media post.

He posted on X and Facebook: 'I have some news to tell you. Please don't be sad. I am …. dying. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.

'Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.'

In a later post, Simmons apologized and said he was 'sorry for the confusion'.

'Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me,' the fitness celebrity wrote on a post on X. 'I am not dying.'

The media figure, who was known for his formerly outgoing personality, abruptly stopped making public appearances in 2014, and many of his fans voiced their concerns about his well-being over the following years.

However Simmons' spokesman Tom Estey provided a statement to the New York Post in 2022 and expressed that he was 'happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.'