- Dr. Ruth Westheimer died on July 12.
- She was 96 years old when she passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
- Dr. Ruth was known for revolutionizing the way sex education was presented and taught the taboo topic in an approachable, comfortable manner.
On July 12, Ruth Westheimer, known professionally as Dr. Ruth, died. Her publicist, Pierre Lehu, informed PEOPLE that “She was restful when she passed away,” adding, “Her son and daughter were with her and holding her hand at that moment. It was as peacefully as she could possibly go. She was 96.”
Dr. Ruth is remembered as the diminutive medical expert who became a sex therapist credited with making mature topics easy to discuss. Assisted by her distinctive German accent, Dr. Ruth incorporated humor, wit, and a conversational tone to offer advice, guidance, and education.
Revolutionary sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer has died
It's with great sadness that I share that at 96 yrs old….Dr. Ruth Westheimer has passed. I wish it was doing what she spoke about the most. She was an icon. RIP. pic.twitter.com/PGuoMs6kzq
— Soule (@GoatWater2) July 13, 2024
Lehu did not have further information about a formal cause of death but the New York Times confirmed that Dr. Ruth had been at her home in New York City when she passed. Originally a German citizen on the eve of Nazi takeover, Dr. Ruth became an American citizen in 1965.
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Lehu, who was also a close friend of Dr. Ruth’s, also marveled, “It’s amazing, there was stuff still going on in her life and someone wants to make a biopic about her.” He is in part referring to her upcoming book made in collaboration with journalist and author Allison Gilbert.
Changing the conversation
Dr. Ruth was born on June 4, 1928, as Karola Ruth Siegel, in Wiesenfeld, Germany under the mounting control of the Nazis. Her childhood quickly became a traumatic one, as her father was taken away and sent to a concentration camp for being Jewish. Her family sent her away to Switzerland to keep her safe, but when she parted from her loved ones at age 10, it would be the last time she was ever hugged as a child.
The charity home quickly became an orphanage as more of the children’s parents were killed. Even at her young age, Ruth took up the role of a caregiver for the others, and still found time to—illegally—continue her much-desired education with the help of another resident.
She spent her early adult life globetrotting, earning multiple bachelor’s degrees and teaching psychology. By ’56, she moved to the U.S. and became a citizen in 1965. Her post-doctoral research was dedicated to human sexuality. She used her educational background to train family planning counselors.
Then, Betty Elam, community manager for WYNY, reached out and proposed Ruth as the personality behind a call-in service all about candid, comfortable sex education. After a 15-minute debut all the way after midnight, Dr. Ruth found herself as the voice of Sexually Speaking, which she always ended with “Have good sex!”
Dr. Ruth became an accessible and approachable resource for children and teens to gain a general education on taboo topics. She also penned over 37 books, and became a frequent face on several late-night talk shows.
Dr. Ruth is predeceased by her husband, Manfred, who passed in 1997 and is survived by her children, Miriam and Joel, as well as four grandchildren.
