Pauly Shore is paying tribute to the late Richard Simmons.
The 56-year-old actor-comedian took to social media Saturday and immediately reacted following the tragic news that Simmons died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. The eccentric fitness guru, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, was 76.
“I just got word like everyone else that the beautiful Richard Simmons has passed. I hope you’re at peace and twinkling up in the heavens,” he wrote in a post that featured a photo of Simmons. “Please give my mother Mitzi and my father Sammy a big hug and kiss for me. You’re one of a kind, Richard. An amazing life. An amazing story. They broke the dolphin shorts when they made you. Rest in peace, my friend. Rest in peace.”
Shore and Simmons were at odds over the actor’s biopic on the late fitness instructor dubbed The Court Jester, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Simmons was not on board with the project, despite Shore’s many pleas.
“Richard and I are not endorsing this project. It is unauthorized. I spoke to Pauly last year and told him [Richard] is not ready to tell his story,” a rep for Simmons told ET earlier this year.
Simmons echoed the sentiment on Facebook saying, “Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support. Richard.”
In April, Shore took to social media and said he was “up all night crying” after learning that Simmons disapproved of the project. In a lengthy caption on Instagram, Shore said no one’s better suited to play Simmons than him. The actor had also implored Simmons to hear him out.
“Richard, you haven’t even heard the pitch. Why don’t you simply let me come over to your house, bring you some warm matzo ball soup and a pastrami sandwich with dark mustard from Canters, rub your feet, and we can listen to the writer, Jordan Allen-Dutton, pitch you our idea?” Shore asked.
The following month, Shore made his intentions clear that he’s moving forward with the project “whether he likes it or not.”
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