The Richard Simmons Auction Made Me Feel Things
The fitness guru's zest for life lives on in the things he left behind
Every time I talk about estate sales on social media, I am hit with at least one comment chiding me for “shopping from the dead.” But that’s the whole reason I do it.
When we die, we all leave behind a collection of who we were — tangible, physical representations of the lives we lived. The clothes we wore and danced in. The lipstick we put on and kissed in. Shoes we ran in or worked in or tripped and fell in.
Our estate sales (or, if we’re celebrities, our auctions) are like little museum exhibitions of the stuff we were made of.
When we leave the earth, our estate sales and auctions are the What’s Left of our lives.
Enter: the personal collection of Richard Simmons, currently on offer at Bonhams and ending tomorrow.
I clicked on the auction out of pure curiosity and found myself tearing up over all the pieces Richard collected. His personality and his zest for life are so clear as you peruse the items listed.
There’s the “Slimmons” sign, which hung above the door of his Beverly Hills workout studio. Opened in 1974 as The Anatomy Asylum, the gym was re-branded as Slimmons in 1975.
Or the Frank Cummings painting of Richard and his dalmations. The proud owner of eight, he even had six plots laid in his yard for their eventual demise, naming them all for characters from his favorite film, Gone With the Wind.
There are also ten sculptures by famed surrealist Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante (someone whose work I have always hoped to find at a thrift store or estate sale), a gorgeous set of colorful art glass pieces by artist James Van Deurzen, and two figural sculptures by Verne Funk I would very much like to own.
There’s a decoupaged plate featuring a cornucopia of vegetables — crispy stalks of asparagus, plump snap peas, juicy tomatoes — and then Richard himself, arms up in the foreground, as if in worship.
And then there is the fitness memorabilia, which is the real draw because, of course, it was Richard’s entire thing.
Over the course of his career, Richard became known for his energetic, high-volume demeanor, which he put to use hosting some five dozen workout tapes and DVDs (plus casette tapes and books). His curly brown hair, bedazzled tank tops, and striped dolphin shorts were a uniform — one he wore to dance, twist and flirt with anyone in his orbit (Richard was a huge flirt and that was all part of the fun).
Born Milton Teagle Simmons in New Orleans in 1948, Richard was obese as a boy, once appearing as a member of the “freak show” in a Fellini film, for which he was cast as a young art student. He moved to Los Angeles after college, going to work as a maitre’d at a restaurant and developing an interest in fitness in the 1970s.
After attending aerobics classes in Hollywood, Simmons was inspired to establish his own studio: his Anatomy Asylum offered workout classes and even had an adjoining salad bar restaurant called Ruffage. Eventually, the restaurant was dropped and Richard’s flagship studio franchise, Slimmons, was born.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Simmons was a fixture on late-night television (and even daytime, with a role on the soap opera General Hospital).
But Simmons was, for most of his public life, something of a charicature, and one not everyone took seriously. He was mocked frequently on sketch shows like Mad TV and Saturday Night Live (both Jim Carrey and Jimmy Fallon have played versions of him). He was often the butt of jokes, despite his success and unwavering dedication to his students.
His reputation was further overshadowed by his retreat from public life in 2017, which spurred a wildly popular investigative podcast and lead to rumors of his death years before it actually happened.
He was a character but he was in on the joke — and at times, he offered a bit of introspection, like when he told The Associated Press, "I think there's a time to be serious and a time to be silly. It’s knowing when to do it. I try to have a nice combination. Being silly cures depression. It catches people off guard and makes them think. But in between that silliness is a lot of seriousness that makes sense."
He died on July 13, 2024, days after experiencing a fall in his home.
At Richard’s celebration of life, his’s brother Lenny revealed that he was buried “Just like Clark Kent",” in that he was wearing a suit — but one with his trademark tank top and shorts on beneath.
"Why, you ask?" Lenny said, adding that his family “wanted to make sure that he was going to be in his normal costume that we all know and love, to help the saints and the angels get into shape."
While some might find it macabre to shop a dead person’s things, I am confident Richard himself would approve. In fact, in a 2012 interview with Men's Health, he pondered that, when he died, he hoped that all of his clothing would be put on public display: "I'm going to donate all my clothing to the Smithsonian after I die, because I want my own wing. I don't want just, like, a Fonzie jacket. I want the Richard Simmons wing."
It’s unclear if he’ll get the wing (though not out of the realm of possibility that the Smithsonian, or some other museum, might snag some of his things from the auction — dozens of his tank tops are on offer, after all).
But even just a click through the listings offers a window into who he was: a tornado of boundless energy and inspiration and someone we could all stand to be more like.
The Richard Simmons auction is whimsical and fun but, like Richard himself, it isn’t something to laugh at. It’s a lesson in living life on your terms and unabashedly.
He once said of himself, “I’m a real paradox. Because I’m a very serious person, and I take my work very seriously. But I wrap it up in a court jester and a clown and make people laugh and make them feel good about themselves.”
Richard embraced the paradox of being both magic and messy, both joyful and imperfect.
His was not a life half-lived. What fun that we all got to learn from him.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Who I Follow on Instagram to Learn What to Thrift (Part I)
Probably the most frequent comment I get, when I thrift something super valuable, is: “How did you know what that was?” It’s followed closely by the similar, “I would never think to buy that.”
ODDS & ENDS
I use my Chase card to earn travel points and they accrue really quickly. I almost always have a free night or two to use at a Marriott property. Currently, they’re offering five free nights if you spend $5,000 within your first three months (which is super easy to do — just pay off your card and you literally have free nights to use at the Ritz or St. Regis).
I got a lot of questions about my favorite black lip balm last time I shared it, particularly when it comes to the scents (chocolate, cherry or unflavored). I recommend the set of two, which allows you to mix and match both scents and shades (I wear the black daily but the framboise rasberry is a gorgeous, muted red if you want more color).
I shared this skirt on Instagram last week and got a lot of questions. It’s the best. Very chic shape, with a drawstring and elastic waist and does not wrinkle. Ideal for travel.
I love this tribute of sorts to one of the most joyful people ever to enter public life. I always find it odd how uncomfortable people are with death and the idea of the things left behind being sold. My mother was the the business manager of a large retirement home in SC practically my whole life growing up. There was every level of care offered from independent living to hospital care. My sister and I learned early on that death was a part of life. I still have a few things that former residents gave me as a child (and I'm 61!). Things can make us smile, remember, cry, laugh, and feel all the feels. But at the end of the day, stuff is just stuff and you can't take it with you. Someone else might as well buy it and give it another life. I suppose "things" have a cycle of life and death just like people.
Such a lovely article! So well researched and respectful. He certainly lived his life to the fullest and collected some beautiful and funky pieces… thanks for sharing this.