Following the death of Richard Simmons, Hollywood is mourning the loss of a positive figure who impacted many lives.
One such tribute came from Pauly Shore, who previously developed an unauthorized biopic of the late fitness legend months before he died at age 76, which Simmons objected to at the time.
“I just got word like everyone else that the beautiful Richard Simmons has passed,” he began in an Instagram post on Friday. “I hope you’re at peace and twinkling up in the heavens.
“Please give my mother Mitzi and my father Sammy a big hug and a kiss for me,” added Shore. “You’re one of a kind, Richard. An amazing life. An amazing story. They broke the dolphin shorts when they made you. Rest in peace, my friend. Rest in peace.”
Following a social media campaign for Shore to portray Simmons in a biopic, the Encino Man actor starred as the Sweatin’ to the Oldies star in the Jake Lewis-helmed short The Court Jester, which premiered in Park City, Utah back in January.
Shore previously expressed his desire to play Simmons on social media, reasoning that he “definitely can morph into this guy” for the upcoming feature, which is in development at The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.
“I’ve noticed all the reactions to me playing Richard Simmons in a new biopic,” he wrote in September 2023. “So I reached out to him. I heard he’s living deep in Big Bear. We’ve been playing phone tag (yes, he still has a phone). I’m trying to make it happen for you guys. Be optimistic.”
But following the January screening, Simmons expressed his disapproval in a post of his own, distancing himself from the project.
American fitness coach Richard Simmons, circa 1980.
Getty
“Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore,” he wrote at the time. “I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
In April, the Wolper Organization tapped Jordan Allen-Dutton (Robot Chicken) to pen the untitled script, which is described as “a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”