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Revolutionary sex therapist Dr Ruth dead at 96

Trailblazing sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer, affectionately known as Dr Ruth, has passed away at the grand age of 96.

Standing a petite 4ft 7in, Dr Ruth was acclaimed for transforming how we communicate about sex and sexuality, propelling the 'sexpert' field forward, though she modestly declared herself a "square". She passed away surrounded by her family, in her Manhattan home in New York City, her spokesperson confirmed on Saturday 13 July. 

Her agent, Pierre Lehu, announced her passing to Page Six with a tribute saying: "She died peacefully, at home, holding the hands of her son and daughter." Pierre also told People Magazine: "It was as peacefully as she could possibly go. She was 96."

Reflecting on her dynamic life, he expressed astonishment: "It's amazing, there was stuff still going on in her life and someone wants to make a biopic about her." The cause of Dr Ruth's departure remains undisclosed. 

Dr Ruth© AFP via Getty Images

Escaping the horrors of her native Germany, Ruth, who entered the world as Karola Ruth Seigel on 4 June 1928 in Wiesenfeld, found refuge in Switzerland at just ten years of age during the Second World War. Tragically, she later learnt that she was her family's lone Holocaust survivor. 

Her resilient spirit took her to Palestine in her teenage years, where she joined the Haganah, learning sharpshooting skills that were never put to lethal use. Ruth's heart led her to wed an Israeli soldier and travel with him to Paris in 1950, where she pursued psychology at the famous Sorbonne.

After their separation five years later, she ventured to American shores, where a new chapter began alongside her second husband and their newborn daughter, Miriam. They also parted ways and she walked down the aisle for the third and final time with Manfred Westheimer.

During their solid union which spanned 36 years, they welcomed son Joel, before tragedy struck and Manfred's died of heart failure in 1997. Ruth then went on to achieve her doctorate from Columbia University and spread the word about sex education at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, as well as enlightening the women at Planned Parenthood. 

Dr Ruth© AFP via Getty Images

Although she championed safe sex, Ruth passionately believed in breaking the silence on sex and sexuality, pushing for more open discussions. Reflecting on her contrasting private values and public persona, she admitted in 2022: "I still hold old-fashioned values and I'm a bit of a square." 

Insisting on the private nature of intimacy, she yet emphasized its importance in societal discourse: "Sex is a private art and a private matter. But still, it is a subject we must talk about."

Her rise to media stardom skyrocketed in 1980 when she began presenting the call-in radio show Sexually Speaking, which soared to become one of the US' most listened-to shows by 1983. By 1984, Ruth had landed her own television programme in the US, the widely acclaimed Dr Ruth Show, dishing out straight-talking, humorous advice on intimate matters.

She didn't stop there, making her mark with appearances on top-tier US television shows including The Howard Stern Radio Show, The Tonight Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and The Dr Oz Show.

Ruth's estimated net worth of more than $3 million was sweetened by her bestselling book roster, with titles like Sex for Dummies, All in a Lifetime, and Musically Speaking: A Life Through Song among her many publications. 

Ruth shared with Page Six during her 94th birthday celebrations that she was on a heartfelt crusade to combat loneliness amid the Covid crisis. She stated, "I would like to be the ambassador for the state of New York combating loneliness. I want to give good advice to people who are lonely."