Richard Simmons has apologized after posts he made on social media caused concern and speculation about his health.
It all began when Simmons, who is 75, posted an ominous message to X and Facebook on Monday: “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am …. dying. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.”
He added: “Why am I telling you this? 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.”
In a later post Monday, Simmons said he was “sorry for the confusion.”
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me,” the fitness celebrity wrote on a post on X. “I am not dying.”
In fact, Simmons said, his message was meant to be one about “how we should embrace every day that we have.”
When reached by CNN prior to Simmons’ apology, Tom Estey, a spokesman for Simmons, also asserted that the posts were meant to be motivational in nature and not a personal announcement related to his health.
“I can confirm with one hundred percent certainty that Richard is not dying,” Estey told CNN. “He’s, in fact, very healthy and happy. The sole purpose of the post was meant to be inspirational.”
In the thread of posts on his X page stemming from his original post, Simmons writes about healthy eating and encouraged his followers to check out his workout videos available on his YouTube channel.
“A big hug really goes a long way,” he wrote at the end of his post.
Simmons grew a fitness business and became a television regular in the 1980s, with a reputation as a gregarious health advocate.
He has remained out of the public eye in recent years, but the circumstances surrounding his whereabouts and wellbeing has provided a fair share of internet fodder.
On occasion, Simmons will share personal updates on his social media pages, writing in a January Facebook post, “I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful.”