Celebrity fitness guru Richard Simmons shared an ominous message in a social media post on Monday, saying he had “news” about “dying,” only to share a separate message with an apology hours later.
“I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying,” the 75-year-old fitness star wrote on Monday.
He added, “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… Why am I telling you this?”
The self-help advocate continued in the social media thread, discussing how to live with gratitude and giving some nutrition tips.
“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,” Simmons said.
He shared, “Don’t eat your dinner too late. Combine your protein with a starch and a few vegetables.”
The television star explained the importance of stretching and to check out his workout videos on YouTube.
“Live today and don’t forget to pray,” he closed his comments.
Simmons followed up with another social media post an hour later.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” he said on Monday. “It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.”
Simmons has lived largely off the radar for years until recent months when he popped up on social media disputing a biopic about his life.
Actor Pauly Shore announced in January his plans to play Simmons in the film The Court Jester, but Simmons claimed he never gave his “permission” for the movie.
“Hi Everybody!” Simmons wrote on social media. “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.”
Shore followed up about questions regarding the film and confirmed it was an unauthorized biopic. He clarified that he had known Simmons for decades and that the film is being made out of love and not to make fun of him.
“My come from has always been love. It’s never been vindictive. I’m not Borat. I’m not ‘Let’s make fun of someone,’” Shore said in a recent interview.
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He added, “I think it’s Richard being Richard. He’s sensitive, and we don’t want to bug him.”
Simmons rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s for his bubbly, energetic, and motivational personality while he promoted weight-loss programs. His most prominent claim to fame came from his Sweatin’ to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and his frequent appearances on Hollywood celebrity cameo shows, including Super Password, Win, Lose or Draw, Match Game, and Hollywood Squares, and he had a recurring role on General Hospital as himself.
