Richard Simmons is healthy and safe despite a recent alarming post from his social media account.
In a statement to ET on Monday, Simmons’ rep Tom Estey said the fitness guru’s post, in which he claimed he was “dying,” was meant to be inspirational and not taken literally.
“Richard just wants to be inspiring and that was his intention in today’s post. He is 100% healthy and happy,” said Estey.
The statement comes just hours after the 75-year-old’s post sparked concerns about his welfare. In the Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) message, Simmons used terrible language to urge his followers to “make the most of your life every day.”
“I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I’m…dying,” Simmons wrote. “Oh, I can see your faces now. The truth is, we are all dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.”
The fitness instructor went on to share recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, including breakfast and dinner suggestions and exercise tips – even suggesting his own YouTube videos. He also suggested to his more than 400,000 Facebook followers to reach out to their loved ones and listen to Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying.”
“There’s another very important thing you should do. Tell the people you love that you love them. Hug the people and kids you really care about. A big hug really goes a long way,” he wrote.
In an updated statement posted to his social media channels following fan concerns, he apologized for the confusion and shared that his message was simply intended to remind everyone to live each day as if it could be their last.
“Sorry, many of you were upset by my message today. Even the press contacted me, I’m not dying,” Simmons shared. “It was a message about how we should embrace each day we have.”
Concerns about Simmons’ health have been prevalent for years, as the once public figure has rarely been seen since 2014. The surprising disappearance even spawned a 2022 special, TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons. The documentary focused on Simmons’ disappearance from the public eye and also revealed that bad knees are the reason he has stayed out of the spotlight all these years.
Earlier this year, Simmons told fans in a post that he was “fine and happy“, but that he did not want to give interviews for now. This message came after his previous comments about his disapproval of The court jesterone unauthorized biopic about your life.
“Hi everyone! You may have heard that they might be making a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I never gave my permission for this movie,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Additionally, Simmons’ rep told ET at the time, “Richard and I are not endorsing this project. It is not authorized. I spoke to Pauly last year and told him (Richard) he is not ready to tell his story.”
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