Death Cover-Up? Los Angeles Fire Dept. Refuses to Release Richard Simmons 911 Call: ‘It Would Reveal Confidential Information’
The Los Angeles Fire Department refuses to release the 911 call placed to alert law enforcement authorities about the death of Richard Simmons.
July 23 2024, Published 4:13 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles Fire Department refuses to release the 911 call placed to alert law enforcement authorities about the death of Richard Simmons.
RadarOnline.com asked first responders to release the emergency call placed from the housekeeper who found the eccentric fitness guru unresponsive at his West Hollywood home on the morning of July 13. He was later pronounced dead at the scene at the age of 76.
But the LAFD blocked the release of their records after we filed a Freedom of Information Act request, claiming it was not required to disclose “protected health information to the media or members of the public pursuant to a request for public records.”
Simmons was found unresponsive by a housekeeper at his West Hollywood home earlier this month.
A spokesperson said: “The Department asserts the exemption of California Government Code Section 7927.705 – which exempts from disclosure records the disclosure of which is prohibited under federal or state law."
“The Department also asserts the exemption of Government Code Section 7927.700, which exempts from disclosure medical records and records the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of the right of privacy under the California Constitution, Article 1, Section 1."
The LAFD said releasing the 911 audio from Simmons' death would reveal private health information protected by HIPAA laws.
The notice continued: “Therefore, pursuant to the exemptions and legal authorities set forth above, the Department must withhold audio and/or transcripts of the 911 call, because releasing such records and information would necessarily reveal confidential PHI (private health information) and other information that would actually identify the individual that is the subject of the HIPAA-protected information.”
It is an unusual step for Los Angeles authorities who have previously released the 911 calls from the final moments of other celebrities, including the king of pop Michael Jackson, Friends star Matthew Perry, and OJ Simpson's murder victim, Nicole Brown Simpson.
RadarOnline.com also exclusively obtained the 911 call made by Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband in 2018 after he found the socialite and actress "in pain" shortly before her death in LA.
- Richard Simmons' Autopsy Report Reveals 76-Year-Old Fitness Guru's Body Was Riddled With Cuts and Bruises
- Fitness Icon Richard Simmons' Cause of Death Revealed by Family One Month After His Passing at 76
- Richard Simmons Biopic War! Family of Fitness Guru 'Sharpening Knives for Legal Battle' Against Pauly Shore Over His Plans for Unauthorized Movie
The fitness guru was declared dead at the scene by Los Angeles firefighters and paramedics on July 13.
The decision to block the disclosure of the Simmons call is also bound to raise more questions than provide answers about what caused the mysterious figure's death, and the circumstances around his passing.
As we previously reported, while Simmons' was buried at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in California on Monday, his death certificate stated his cause of death was still "pending investigation".
Preliminary findings also determined Simmons died from “apparent natural causes”.
Officials said in preliminary reports that Simmons died from "apparent natural causes," but most of the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott previously revealed: “Upon arrival, one rescue ambulance discovered a 76-year-old male who was pronounced deceased on-scene by firefighter/paramedics ... As a result, no hospital transport was necessary.”
Yet most of the details surrounding his death remain unknown.
Simmons famously disappeared from the public eye a decade before his death and only gave rare interviews or social media updates over the following years. The death certificate obtained by TMZ revealed he was never married.
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