Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a sex therapist who became a pop culture icon thanks to her TV and radio appearances.
- Died: July 12, 2024 (Who else died on July 12?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in New York City at the age of 96.
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Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s legacy
When Westheimer began hosting her first radio show in 1980, “Sexually Speaking,” no one knew what a sensation the 15-minute late-night broadcast would become. Westheimer, who had a master’s degree in sociology and a doctorate in education, as well as postgraduate work in human sexuality and experience working at Planned Parenthood, followed a simple advice-show format. She read and replied, in her strong German accent, to letters from listeners about their sex-related questions and concerns.
It only took two months for the show, broadcast on New York City’s WYNY-FM, to grow so popular that it was lengthened to one hour and changed to a call-in show rather than focusing on listeners’ letters. Westheimer was especially concerned with advocating for women’s sexual pleasure. Fans loved her unmistakable voice, her candid and helpful advice, and her gentle but risqué sense of humor. Her popular catchphrase was, “Get some.”
TV success
Westheimer’s reputation grew, spreading across the country after appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman.” Lifetime Cable began airing a 15-minute TV show hosted by Westheimer, also titled “Sexually Speaking,” to great success and eventually syndication.
Westheimer’s sound advice made her program a success, but perhaps her approachability was what truly made her a star. Just 4 feet 7 inches tall and possessed of a squeaky voice, bearing the friendly nickname Dr. Ruth, Westheimer was anything but threatening, and fans quickly became comfortable asking her their embarrassing questions. Westheimer never judged; she just replied candidly with her advice for achieving sexual health and satisfaction.
It was a simple formula that made her a pop culture phenomenon. In addition to hosting her show, Westheimer wrote advice books, appeared in commercials for Herbal Essences shampoo and body wash and the Honda Prelude, and made appearances on TV’s “Quantum Leap” and the Public Broadcasting Service children’s shows “Between the Lions” and “Dinosaur Train.” She wrote the syndicated column “Ask Dr. Ruth” and inspired the board game “Dr. Ruth’s Game of Good Sex.”
Early life
Born Karola Ruth Siegel June 4, 1928, in Wiesenfeld, Germany, Westheimer was an Orthodox Jew whose parents sent her to Switzerland in 1939 after the Nazis had captured her father. She was placed in an orphanage and learned later that both of her parents had perished in the Holocaust.
Westheimer was a teenager when she immigrated to Israel and, in a move that would later surprise fans who learned about it, trained as a sniper with the Haganah, a Jewish force of freedom fighters. She fought in the Israeli War of Independence, and she was wounded in action by an exploding shell.
After the war, Westheimer moved to Paris and later to the U.S., where she made her home in New York City.
Dr. Ruth’s 21st-century sex advice
“Moral is if you spend more time having sex & less time on cell and eating you’ll have better sex. Seems obvious.” –from a 2014 post on x.com
Tributes to Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Full obituary: The New York Times
