Dr. Ruth Westheimer, renowned sex therapist who rose to fame nationwide for having blunt and trustworthy conversations round bodily intimacy, has died. She was 96.
The Holocaust survivor died “peacefully” in her New York City dwelling July 12, Westheimer’s publicist, Pierre Lehu, shared in a press release from her household.
“The children of Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer are sad to announce the passing of their mother, the internationally-celebrated sex therapist, author, talk show host, professor, and orphan of the Holocaust,” her household mentioned within the assertion July 13.
Westheimer died a month after celebrating her 96th birthday and is survived by her kids, Joel and Miriam, in addition to 4 grandchildren.
The household will maintain a personal funeral, her publicist famous.
Before she made her mark as a joyful radio and tv icon, Westheimer, born Karola Ruth Siegel, was orphaned at the age of 10 through the Holocaust, later coaching as a sniper for the Jewish underground.
Despite her previous, Westheimer advised TODAY in 2015 that her secret to life is her outlook.
“You have to keep an upbeat attitude,” she mentioned, then including, “You have problems, I know them. I have problems, too. I’m saying make the best out of every day that you have.”
In the Nineteen Sixties, Westheimer labored at Planned Parenthood of New York City in East Harlem, later graduating from Columbia University with a doctorate diploma.
Her media profession started when she stuffed in at NBC-owned radio WYNY-FM to take questions from listeners, which finally led to the present “Sexual Speaking.” She branched out into tv with “The Dr. Ruth Show.”
The sex therapist was a visitor on reveals with Johnny Carson, David Letterman and Phil Donahue and made her movie debut within the 1985 flick “One Woman or Two.”
Westheimer can also be an acclaimed creator, writing greater than 60 books, together with a kids’s e-book entitled, “Crocodile, You’re Beautiful,” in 2019.
