Teresa Reveles had known Richard Simmons for over 30 years. When he unexpectedly passed away, Reveles, who worked for Simmons, was understandably devastated. Per PEOPLE, Reveles spoke candidly about Simmons and his lasting legacy.
In the middle of her interview, Reveles broke down into tears. "I can't stop crying. I still can't believe what happened." When asked if she'd like to continue another time, Reveles stated, "No, I want to celebrate Richard. He died happy."
Reveles was the one who found Simmons in his bedroom. "When I saw him, he looked peaceful," she said. She noted, however, that his hands were balled into fists. "That's why I know it was a heart attack. I had a heart attack a few years ago, and my hands did the same."
Two days before his passing, Simmons had a bad fall. The following day, Simmons' 76th birthday, he told Reveles, "Teresa, I can't go down, my legs hurt a lot."
Reveles told the fitness guru, "Let's go to the hospital. Maybe you broke your leg." But Simmons was adamant. "No, Teresa. Not on my birthday. Why we don't wait and we do it in the morning." He would pass away that following morning.
"Everything happened the way he wanted," Reveles said. "He wanted to die first, he went first. And you know what? I'm very happy because Richard was really, very happy. He died very happy."
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"Richard took me in, all those years ago. And he became like my father. He loved me before I loved him. He gave me beautiful jewelry. Every time he gave me something, in the early years, I was thinking, 'He doesn't know me! Why did he do this? Why did he do that?'"
Even when Simmons' mother passed away, Simmons gave his dear friend something that was deeply personal to the bond he shared with his mother. "This ring is the first ring that I bought my mother when I got my first check. And I want you to have that," Simmons once told Reveles, signaling that his bond with her meant the world to him -- and the feeling was more than mutual.
