’ heartwarming daily routine before his death included a visit from some furry friends — a family of skunks.
Simmons’ house manager shared that Simmons would feed the family of skunks by hand every night after they arrived at the back door of his residence in West Hollywood, California, noting that the animals became familiar with Simmons, even touching noses with the fitness legend.
“‘Richard! They probably have rabies!’ I would tell him,” Reveles told People in an interview published on Monday, July 29.
Reveles lived with Simmons for 35 years, fulfilling duties such as overseeing the home and yard as well as shopping and cooking for him. Reveles clarified that her role is different from the housekeeper, another woman who worked for Simmons for 40 years.
Reveles came to work for him in 1986 through an agency. “I showed up in here and Richard says to me, ‘Where are your clothes? Where is your big suitcase?’ I said, ‘I just bring the little suitcase because I only try this for two weeks. If you don’t like me or you don’t like my cooking, then I can’t work,’” she recalled, adding that Simmons told her, “Teresa, come in, you are never going to leave. We are going to be together until I die.”
She continued: “And you know what? His dream came true. He knew somehow.”
After Simmons took a step back from public life years ago, Reveles recalled the scrutiny she faced. “They said crazy things, that I kept him locked up in the house. But that just never was the truth,” she said, noting that the twosome would go for walks in disguise.
Reveles claimed a tracking device was put under her car. After she went to a mechanic and the police in 2019, she discovered there were two devices under her vehicle.
The morning of Simmons’ birthday earlier this month, he told Reveles that his legs “hurt a lot.” In response, she advised him to go to the hospital, but he insisted on waiting until the morning. “But in the morning it was too late,” she said.
Reveles found Simmons in his bedroom the next day, where he was pronounced dead on the scene after officers arrived at his residence.
“When I saw him, he looked peaceful,” she said, adding that his hands were balled into fists. “That’s why I know it was a heart attack. I had a heart attack a few years ago, and my hands did the same.”
ABC News confirmed at the time that authorities believe Simmons died of natural causes. People subsequently reported that the Medical Examiner’s Office in Los Angeles deferred Simmons’ cause of death while an investigation and further testing were underway. Police told the outlet that there “is no foul play involved.”
Following Simmons’ death, Reveles noted that she “can’t stop crying.” She added, “I still can’t believe what happened.”
Simmons bought two burial plots next to each other, with one being for Reveles.
“Everything happened the way he wanted. He wanted to die first, he went first,” she said. “And you know what? I’m very happy because Richard was really, very happy. He died very happy.”
