Richard Simmons Explains I AM DYING Social Media Post _ E! News

Transcript

00:00 Richard Simmons responds to fans who are concerned after his recent social media post.

00:05 The Sweat Into the Oldies star posted a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, March 18th.

00:10 The message startled followers as it began with,

00:13 "I have some news to tell you. Please don't be sad. I am dying. Oh, I can see your faces now.

00:20 The truth is, we all are dying. Every day we live, we are getting closer to our death."

00:25 He continued,

00:26 "Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest, every single day.

00:31 Get up in the morning and look at the sky. Count your blessings and enjoy."

00:35 Richard then offered his fans some healthy tips for diet and exercise, before adding,

00:40 "There is something else very important that you must do. Tell the ones that you love that

00:45 you love them. Hug those people and children who you really care for."

00:49 He ended his thread with, "Live today and don't forget to pray."

00:53 Simmons' cryptic words got fans wondering if he was alright,

00:56 but the fitness icon later reassured everyone that he is okay.

01:00 In a follow-up post on the platform, Richard tells his worried fans,

01:04 "Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in

01:09 touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day

01:14 that we have." So no sweat in this situation, y'all. Richard is just fine.

01:19 The celeb has been posting more frequently on social media following his exit from the spotlight.

01:24 He made his last public appearance in February 2014, when he suddenly stopped teaching at his

01:30 Los Angeles workout studio. Since then, the internet has theorized why Richard stepped

01:35 away from his fitness empire, with some people wildly speculating that he's a quote, "hostage"

01:40 in his own house. But the entertainment icon debunked these claims in 2016, telling the Today

01:46 show, "No one is holding me in my house as a hostage. You know, I do what I want to do,

01:51 as I've always done, so people should sort of just believe what I have to say." He continued,

01:56 "I just sort of wanted to be a little bit of a loner for a while. You know, I had hurt my knee,

02:01 and I had some problems with it, and then the other knee started giving me trouble.

02:05 And you know, right now, I just want to sort of take care of me."

02:10 (upbeat music)

02:13 (upbeat music)

02:16 (upbeat music)