Richard Simmons has been missing from the public eye for over a decade, but he is very much alive, he assured fans on Monday.
The speculation all started when the long-time fitness guru posted to X and said he was "dying."
"I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death," the 76-year-old wrote.
"Why am I telling you this?" Simmons continued in a X thread. "Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy."
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Simmons continued to write several posts giving life advice, including having a healthy breakfast and to "Tell the ones that you love that you love them. Hug those people and children who you really care for."
The message from Simmons, who has not lived a public life outside of posts to social media in 10 years, caught many fans' attention.
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So much so, the "Sweatin' to the Oldies" star posted to X again later in the day to clarify that he is, in fact, "not dying."
"Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today," Simmons wrote. "Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion."
The popular fitness instructor, who appeared on many TV shows and released workout videos for decades, has been the subject of fan speculation since his abrupt disappearance from public life in 2014.
Earlier this year, Simmons reiterated his desire to step back from the public eye as the reason for his disappearance, saying that "I no longer have a manager and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support."
The message, which was Simmons' first in over a year at the time, was in response to reports that a biopic of his life was in the works with comedian Pauly Shore set to play him.
"You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don't believe everything you read," Simmons said of the movie.
