Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and bestselling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. Her publicist says she died Friday at her home in New York City. Westheimer never advocated risky sexual behavior. Instead, she encouraged open dialogue on previously closeted issues that affected her audience of millions. Her one recurring theme was there was nothing to be ashamed of. Westheimer’s giggly, German-accented voice, coupled with her 4-foot-7 frame, made her an unlikely looking and sounding outlet for “sexual literacy.” The contradiction was one of the keys to her success.