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Dr Ruth Westheimer, a celebrity sex guru who changed the way Americans speak about sex, died at her Manhattan home on Friday.
She was 96. Her death was announced on her Twitter account Saturday morning with a short message: “The beloved Dr Ruth has passed away.” Westheimer’s cause of death was not immediately known.
Her sex guru career began in her 50s when she began taking questions from readers on WYNY, a New York radio station. She had a 15 minute segment that played after midnight on Sundays. The show, called “Sexually Speaking”, made Westheimer a celebrity.
Westheimer was at the height of her fame in the 80s. She appeared on late night talk shows and even had her own talk show that ran from 1984 to 1991 called “The Dr Ruth Show”. Jerry Seinfeld and Cyndi Lauper made appearances on the program.
Her writing achievements included over 30 books written to educate the general public about sex. Titles included Sex for Dummies, The Art of Arousal and Heavenly Sex, among many others.
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