Richard Simmons made a lasting impression on his General Hospital co-stars, and Lynn Herring still holds on to a heartfelt reminder of their time together.
Herring, who plays Lucy Coe on the iconic soap opera, recently opened up about Simmons in a May 20 article published by Michael Fairman TV.
Simmons, who passed away in July 2024 at the age of 76, appeared in more than 100 episodes of General Hospital starting in 1979. He played a fictionalized version of himself and brought his signature energy to the set.
Herring, who first joined the show in 1986 and later returned in 2012, took over hosting duties for the Nurses’ Ball, an annual storyline event dedicated to raising awareness for HIV/AIDS.
In 2013, Simmons came back to the show to mark its 50th anniversary and choreographed dancers for the Nurses’ Ball — sparking some memorable moments with Lucy.
“Lucy generates an energy that I think sometimes can combust too much. Richard was very manic and hyper,” Herring recalled.
“He would be Lucy’s energy on steroids times 10. He comes to work though with the same joy of wanting to entertain. Richard wanted people to feel his love and acceptance and warmth and that’s the first thing you see.”
She shared how much she admired Simmons, not only for his performance but for the way he treated those around him.
“I just admired Richard so much, because whatever he was going through, he would put that aside and wanted to be a true performer and really engage with all of us,” she said.
Simmons also left Herring with a touching personal gift.
“We spent several days together, obviously, and then the last day he had this beautiful jeweled dress that he had gotten at an auction, or an art house, and he gave it to me,” she said.
“I told him, ‘Richard, I don’t need a gift, but I will keep that and treasure it,’ because it just represents everything he gave everybody.”
Their scenes together were filled with energy and laughter, even when their characters clashed.
“It was so fun in our scenes, because he would try to get so mad at Lucy, and we would be doing our nemesis stuff and then we would crack up. We did have to do several takes occasionally.”
Herring also remembered her late co-star back in July during a conversation with PEOPLE.
“Richard Simmons meant a lot to so many folks including me,” she said. “When Richard walked on our General Hospital stage it would sizzle with his life force, his wicked sense of humor, his joy of entertaining and his love for us all.”
