One day in 2014, famed fitness guru Richard Simmons suddenly stopped showing up to his Los Angeles studio where he taught classes and nurtured people seeking better health.
"Slimmons" was a place where the instructor and mentor spent much of his time. Classes always had rows of people who considered Simmons a dear friend.
The studio shut down just a few months ago.
It's been three years since anyone has seen Simmons in public or really even heard from him, but filmmaker and producer Dan Taberski has his heart set on getting to the bottom of why Simmons is gone.
Taberski hosts a weekly podcast searching for and unlocking the mystery around Simmons, king of the "Sweatin' to the Oldies" empire that peaked in the 1990s. He talks to people who know Simmons and tells of his own relationship with him — they were friends, and Taberski had been to Simmons' home.
"Missing Richard Simmons" has drawn a captivated audience, and as of Feb. 23 it was No. 1 on iTunes — ahead of the usual chart-toppers from NPR, "This American Life" and "TED Talks."
To check out the podcast, download the Stitcher app.
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