Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the well-known sex therapist who was an outspoken radio talk show host and television personality, has died. She was 96 years old.
It was first reported The New York TimesThe beloved psychologist died Friday at her New York City home. Publicist Pierre Leff declined to disclose the cause of death. Westheimer, who often said “Nothing is more interesting than sex,” entered the pop culture lexicon in 1980 with her WYNY radio show in New York City.
The show started as just a 15-minute segment, with Westheimer answering countless questions about sex and relationships, captivating New York audiences. She quickly gained national fame and is widely credited with breaking down the stigma that talking about sex is taboo.
With a degree from the Sorbonne and a PhD from Columbia University, Westheimer eventually landed roles in television and film, and even had her own TV show, Lifetime’s Good Sex! With Dr. Ruth WestheimerAfter serving as a research assistant at Columbia University’s School of Public Health, Westheimer did a postdoctoral fellowship in human sexuality at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where she trained with renowned sex therapist Helen Singer Kaplan. Westheimer later taught at Lehman College in the Bronx and Brooklyn College.
She rose to fame in the 1980s with her popular live radio and television phone-in shows. Playgirl As a magazine editor, Westheimer rose to fame with her how-to books on sex and intimacy. She famously said that even at 4ft 7in she needed “the courage to stand up”, and later used her platform to campaign for sexual literacy and AIDS research.
“I think everybody has a duty to do things for other people, especially if you’re as lucky as I am,” she told ET in 1995.
She also told ET in 1992, “I love to dance and laugh and talk about sex, but at the same time, I’m a very serious person.”
Westheimer was born Carola Ruth Siegel in Germany on June 4, 1928. Ten years later, the Nazis captured her father and she was sent to an orphanage in Switzerland, where she worked essentially as a housekeeper. When she was just 10 years old, Westheimer lost her entire family to Auschwitz, presumed murdered, and she would never see them again.
“I’ve always had a lustful life, and if you ask me why I was able to have that life, despite what I think was, from a psychoanalytic point of view, a tragic childhood, I think part of it has to do with the fact that I had a good foundation when I was young,” she explained in 1985. “So having that good foundation allowed me to build on it.”
Famously known for repeatedly gushing, “Hitler lost, I won,” this lovable grandmother shot to fame after watching WYNY’s community affairs manager lecture a group of station staff on sexual literacy. Her show then went on to Sexually speakingwas born earning $25 a week. The New York Times.
But while her frank approach to sex, intimacy and relationships won her many fans, she also had detractors, including mental health professionals who accused her of turning serious subjects into entertainment.
Undaunted, Westheimer continued to speak publicly and make appearances at many high-profile events. She was undoubtedly a celebrity, and had a magnetic influence on just about everyone, including celebrities, and was not shy about giving sex advice or expressing her opinions on a variety of topics during interviews. She once wrote a book about her 2011 erotic romance novel, ” Fifty Shades of Greywas “not great literature, but it’s interesting to read.”
After being married twice, she found true love in 1961 while skiing in the Catskill Mountains, when she met Fred Westheimer, a telecommunications engineer. He was also a Jewish refugee and about a foot taller than her. They were married for more than 40 years until his death in 1997.
She once made the famous statement Esquire In 2010, “Skiers make the best lovers because they don’t just sit on the couch in front of the TV. They take risks and get their asses in the air. Plus, you might meet someone new on the ski lift.”
She joked to ET in 2019 that when she goes for walks, she holds on to a “hot guy” instead of a cane.
Westheimer is survived by his son, Joel Westheimer, his daughter, Miriam Westheimer, and four grandchildren.
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