Oct 5, 2024 - Things to Do
New Orleans honors Richard Simmons with a "Sweatin' to the Oldies" French Quarter workout
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New Orleans said goodbye to Richard Simmons on Saturday with a memorial Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral, a "Sweatin' to the Oldies"-style workout and a Bourbon Street-bound second-line.
Why it matters: It's easy to imagine the French Quarter native, who died in July, would have loved every moment.
The big picture: Simmons was an American icon, but he was just a New Orleans kid first.
- He attended the St. Louis Cathedral School and, later, Cor Jesu (now Brother Martin High School).
- A bit part in a Fellini film nourished an early interest in acting, but it was Simmons' frustration with his weight that eventually propelled him into stardom.
- A leader in at-home, VHS workouts, Simmons seemed made for the moment thanks to his easy, wide smile and infectious encouragement.
Jackson Square on Saturday was crowded with dozens of Simmons fans and curious onlookers as Mass let out. Many were dressed like Simmons, with striped shorts, dazzling tank-tops and curly wigs.
- Shortly after Mass, during which attendees sang a 2012 song penned by Simmons himself, a workout instructor stood on the steps to the Place d'Armes park in front of the cathedral.
- The instructor led the crowd in a brief "Sweatin' to the Oldies"-style workout with waving arms and wiggling behinds.
- The workout wasn't quite long enough to work up much of a sweat, but the brass band-led second-line that followed certainly was as it wound through the French Quarter toward Bourbon Street.
Go deeper:
- New Orleanians share memories of Richard Simmons
- More on Simmons' bio, from the Historic New Orleans Collection
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