Dr. Ruth Westheimer dead at 96
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the holocaust orphan who rose to become one of the most famous sex therapists in America, died on Friday just over a month after her 96th birthday.
The four-foot-seven celebrity had a big smile and a penchant for tackling the most taboo of subjects with blunt honesty and matronly humor.
For generations, Dr. Ruth was the doctor in the house when it came to talking about sex, parlaying a career as a sex therapist into a radio call-in show answering questions
Dr. Ruth became a household name in the 1980s, catapulting a taboo topic into the national spotlight, hositng television shows, writing books, becoming a regular on late night talk shows.
Her mission: To educate people about their bodies and sexual pleasure.
Born Karola Ruth Siegel in Frankfurt, Germany in 1928, Dr. Ruth was just 10 years old when her Jewish parents, fearful of the rise of Nazi Germany, sent her to a Swiss orphanage for safekeeping She was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.
In 1945, she moved to British-controlled mandatory Palestine and became an Israeli freedom fighter.
In 1956, Dr. Ruth moved to the U.S., working as a maid while she learned English, eventually earning a doctorate in education from teacher's college.
She started her radio show "Sexually Speaking" in 1980.
Dr. Ruth's no-nonsense demeanor when it came to sex earned her everything from magazine covers to commercials, and frequently appeared on The Today Show.
Married three times, Dr. Ruth was the mother of two. She leaves behind a legacy of talking about what goes on behind closed doors, educating millions.
