 Tributes are coming in for fitness guru Richard Simmons, who died Friday at his home in Los Angeles. Simmons was a court jester of physical fitness who built a mini empire on his trademark tank tops and shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. As a teenager, he weighed 260. I had an important job, and it wasn't just a job. It was keeping my brothers and sisters safe. And coming back, it felt like kind of thrown away.