Dr. Ruth, Famed Sex Therapist, Dies At Age 96

If you were there in the 1980s, you knew of (and probably listened to) Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the senior citizen psychologist who became a pop culture phenomenon as “Dr. Ruth” – the uber-popular radio & TV sex counselor. I’m sad to report the “Dr.” has left the building. Westheimer died on Friday at her home in New York City at the age of 96.

Ruth Westheimer, the psychologist known as “Dr. Ruth” who became America’s best-known sex counselor with her frank, funny radio and TV programs, died on Friday. She was 96. https://t.co/5Wg9tRXdQS pic.twitter.com/lzhRXDUZro

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 13, 2024

From the New York Times:

Dr. Westheimer was in her 50s when she first went on the air in 1980, answering listeners’ mailed-in questions about sex and relationships on the radio station WYNY in New York.

The show, called “Sexually Speaking,” was only a 15-minute segment heard after midnight on Sundays. But it was such a hit that she quickly became a national media celebrity and a one-woman business conglomerate.

At her most popular, in the 1980s, she had syndicated live call-in shows on radio and television, wrote a column for Playgirl magazine, lent her name to a board game and its computer version, and began rolling out guidebooks on sexuality that covered the field from educating the young to recharging the old.

College students loved her; campus speaking appearances alone brought in a substantial income. She appeared in ads for cars, soft drinks, shampoo, typewriters and condoms.

As you might guess, the good doctor was a longtime vocal ally to the LGBTQ community. Still quite active on social media, her X feed was delightfully unfiltered, just like she was. Rest well, Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

So today is Anal Sex Day. If you’re into it, great, if not, don’t feel pressured. But if you were thinking about it, I guess today is as good a day as any.

— Dr. Ruth Westheimer (@AskDrRuth) April 18, 2024