MELVILLE, New York — Richard Simmons died last week at the age of 76. Simmons gained fame for his exercise videos, in particular his Sweatin’ to the Oldies series. Simmons, having grown up in New Orleans as an obese child, went on to not only lose weight, but find meaning and joy in physical fitness. He shared that message in his videos, television appearances, live events, and classes at his exercise studio, Slimmons. He was born Milton Teagle Simmons to a Jewish mother, Shirley May “Sadie” Satin Simmons, but he was not raised Jewish, and he eventually became what he called an “extreme Catholic.” Why did Shirley’s Russian Jewish family disown her?
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Mark D. Zimmerman is the author of a series of Jewish trivia books, under the title RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun.