 Michelle Franzen, ABC News. And with that, sex therapist Ruth Westheimer. Known to millions as Dr. Ruth passed away Friday at the age of 96 at her home in Manhattan. Dr. Ruth first came to prominence in 1980 when she hosted a segment called Sexually Speaking on a station, a radio station in New York. The German-born Westheimer stood only 4 feet 7 inches tall but became larger than life.