Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist known as Dr. Ruth, dies at 96

Ruth Westheimer, the iconic sex therapist who dispensed lighthearted advice and helped educate millions of Americans about sexual desires and practices, has died, her publicist Pierre Lehu told CNN this Saturday (13). She was 96 years old.

Westheimer has been a leading advocate for sex education for decades, giving colorful and witty advice in her distinctive German accent.

“Dr. Ruth” – as she was better known – died while her two children sat next to her at her home on Friday (12), around 11:30 p.m. local time, according to the aide.

Westheimer’s first radio show, called “Sexually Speaking,” debuted in New York in 1980 and proved so popular that it quickly became syndicated nationwide.

It also catapulted her to TV fame in the mid-1980s with her eponymous “The “Dr. Ruth Show” on the Lifetime network.

Over the next few decades, she hosted several other TV shows where she fielded calls from fans across the country and spoke openly about a wide range of taboo sexual topics.

She ended many of her shows by encouraging the audience to “have good sex!”

Westheimer appeared on programs focused on general education for children and teenagers and became a cultural figure, writing more than 37 books and becoming a regular guest on late-night talk shows.

She continued to happily dispense sexual advice to the public well into her 90s.

The therapist was named New York State’s Honorary Loneliness Ambassador in 2023, a role that was the first of its kind in the country.

Westheimer has written a book about loneliness, outlining 100 ways to overcome the condition and live a happier, more meaningful life, which will be released posthumously in September, according to the book’s publisher’s website.

Ruth, who was Jewish, was born in Germany in 1928. When she was 10, on the eve of World War II, Westheimer was sent to Switzerland by her parents. Her mother and father died during the Holocaust, and she said she believed they were killed in Auschwitz.

As a teenager, Westheimer lived in Jerusalem and trained as a sniper in the Haganah, a controversial Zionist militant group that later became part of the Israel Defense Forces.

At age 20, Westheimer studied in Paris and then immigrated to New York City, where he pursued graduate studies, eventually graduating from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Ruth was a member of the Museum of Jewish Heritage and regularly funded and participated in Holocaust remembrance events.

“To allow joy to be at the center of your life, you also need to feel your emotions, even the sad ones,” she wrote in her 2015 book, “The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joy of Living.”

“You have to cry, let the tears flow. If you suppress sadness, joy will be suppressed along with it,” Ruth wrote.