NEW YORK — Pioneering sexual health educator, radio and television personality and therapist Ruth Westheimer passed away Friday in New York City at 96.
Westheimer’s death was first reported to The New York Times by her spokesperson, Pierre Lehu.
A Holocaust survivor, Westheimer escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s, served as a sniper in the Israeli armed forces during the creation of the state in 1947 and 1948, and later lived and gained her education in Paris and New York. She earned her master’s degree in sociology from The New School for Social Research and a doctorate in education from Columbia Teachers College in 1970.
Westheimer then attended New York’s Cornell University Medical College and trained under pioneering sex therapist Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan for five years, becoming an adjunct associate professor. She also taught at Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Adelphi University, Columbia University and West Point, before opening her own sex therapy practice in 1975.
In the 1980s, when she was in her 50s, Westheimer began offering sex advice on the radio, and later transitioned to television. There, her popularity among the general public, who were charmed by her vivacious, aunt-like personality, quickly made her a national household name.
“Westheimer seemed the least likely person to be offering graphic sex advice,” the Hollywood Reporter’s obituary noted. “But that only added to her appeal. She would gleefully initiate candid discussions about the penis, condoms and how to derive the ultimate satisfaction when making love.”
“Well, they don’t tune in for arousal,” Westheimer joked in an interview. “At 4-foot-7 and age 57, I’m not a sex symbol. I’m well trained. I do not talk around issues, I talk in the proper terminology. I’m a little gutsy.”
Her radio call-in show “Sexually Speaking” was an immediate hit, drawing a quarter-million listeners weekly by 1983, the year before it gained national syndication, the Hollywood Reporter reported.
In 1982, Westheimer began making regular appearances on late-night talk shows, becoming, over several decades, a favorite of audiences and top hosts like Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Joan Rivers, Howard Stern, Arsenio Hall, Tavis Smiley, Jimmy Kimmel and Rachael Ray.
Her own hit TV shows include Lifetime’s “Good Sex!,” “Dr. Ruth Westheimer,” “The All New Dr. Ruth Show,” “What’s Up, Dr. Ruth?” and “Dr. Ruth’s Never Too Late.”
Westheimer published over 30 books, starting with “Dr. Ruth’s Guide to Good Sex” in 1983. Other titles include “Dr. Ruth’s Guide for Married Lovers,” “Sex for Dummies,” “Grandma on Wheel,” “52 Lessons on Communicating Love” and “Myths of Love.”
In the 21st century, Dr. Ruth continued communicating science-based information about human sexuality online, developing a thriving Twitter account and a popular YouTube channel.
“I’m not against using erotic material, which I don’t necessarily think of as pornography,” Dr. Ruth wrote in a recent column. “My definition of erotic material would be pictures, videos or written stories that you both find arousing and might introduce some new concepts to your sex life, but aren’t offensive.
“I would say that as with almost everything else having to do with your sex life, establishing good communication on the subject is key,” she added.
A documentary about her life, “Ask Dr. Ruth,” premiered at Sundance in 2018.
