TRAGIC: The fitness guru, Richard Simmons ,76, Said ‘I Know People Miss Me’ in Emotional Final Interview 2 Days Before His Death, COULD HE HAVE SEEN HIMSELF DYING? (Exclusive)

The fitness guru spoke to PEOPLE just days before he died at 76

Richard Simmons was singing: “Happy birthday to… me…” It was one day before he turned 76, and two days before the fitness and weight loss legend died of apparent natural causes in his Los Angeles home on July 13. He was also, inexplicably, serenading himself while imitating Marilyn Monroe.

And, as it’s gone for the past five decades, no one was laughing harder than Richard Simmons. “I’ll always be the court jester,” said Simmons, on the phone with PEOPLE for an exclusive, rare interview — his first since his abrupt retirement from the public eye in 2014.

His reclusivity in recent years was a stark departure from the Richard Simmons his fans had come to know and adore. After growing up in New Orleans, where he struggled with weight issues throughout childhood (he weighed 268 lbs. when he graduated high school in 1966), the fitness showman first found fame in Los Angeles, where he opened Ruffage and the Anatomy Asylum — a combination health-food eatery and exercise studio in 1974.

It was the beginning of a fitness empire that included nine books (two bestsellers), his Deal-A-Meal and FoodMover diet plans, plus infomercials and workout videos (including “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,”), which have sold over 20 million copies.

He appeared regularly on General Hospital, hosted his own talk show in the ’80s and became a favorite guest for the likes of David Letterman and Rosie O’Donnell. With his signature crown of curly hair, rhinestone-covered tank tops, dolphin shorts and tube socks, Simmons was a frenetic, high-kicking, arm-waving icon — and a sparkling beacon of hope for his millions of fans. “I’ll always be fooling around,” he told PEOPLE. “When the curtain goes up, I’m there to make people happy.”