Following a whole mystery around Richard Simmons and his apparent sudden disappearance, he’s broken his silence after 8 years.
Since his disappearance, everyone has wondered where the fitness star had retreated to…
Scroll down for the full story!
Richard Simmons was at the height of his career back in the 1980s and the 1990s.
The fitness enthusiast was always spotted wearing his iconic striped dolphin shorts and a tank top that was bedazzled with Swarovski crystals.
It was his positive and bubbly personality that attracted people to get their bodies moving.
But how did he get into working out and staying healthy?
Well, as a teenager and young adult, Simmons struggled with obesity…
As well as experiencing many difficulties because of his weight.
But before he began walking on the road to fitness, Simmons worked as the maître d’ at the famous Beverly Hills restaurant Derek’s as well as also working in advertising.
It was between these experiences that he felt it would be a good idea to start his own gym.
And this was the turning factor in Simmons’ life…
Where he desperately wanted to change and began working out.
Fitness quickly became part of his lifestyle and soon evolved into a passion.
He even lost more than 100 pounds, inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.
While Simmons was able to help people in his community, he still had an urge to reach a wider audience…
And so he created workout videos on VHS and people began raving about the fitness guru through word of mouth.
Since then his legacy of fitness still lives on…
And his positive approach to losing weight is unforgettable.
After finding massive success as a fitness guru, Simmons changed his gym’s name to Slimmons in order to reflect the inviting and positive nature the gym hoped to achieve.
His gym became one of the most respected gyms in the area and served its local community for more than 40 years. Simmons worked at his gym until February 2014, when he suddenly just stepped away.
Even those who worked with Simmons at his gym could tell something was wrong on his last day…
Later it was revealed that he decided to step down from his work in order to focus on his health.
The 74-year-old was last seen on February 15, 2014, when he closed his fitness studio.
Back in 2017, Simmons spoke out for the first time in 3 years following his hospitalization for stomach problems.
“Hello to everyone who has shown concern for me and sent their good wishes. You will never know how much it means to me. Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?! LOL Well by now you know that I’m not ‘missing,’ just a little under the weather. I’m sure I will be feeling good and back home in a couple of days,” Simmons told PEOPLE at the time.
But what’s even more interesting is the fact he made a comeback in the pandemic…
Simmons sort of emerged back into the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Where he re-released workout videos on his YouTube channel to help others stay fit while in lockdown.
And now, his close friend and actress, Suzanne Somers, recalled her last encounter with him in the new “TMZ Investigates” documentary What Really Happened to Richard Simmons.
“One night I was on the Larry King show and he was either going to be a guest or supposed to be a guest, and I heard through the Larry King people that he didn’t want to be on the show with me,” she said.
Simmons was a regular on the late-night talk show. Somers went on and said he may have been insecure.
“I said, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘He’ll make fun of me.’ And that’s not my style, I never make fun of anybody. But that’s when I realized a little insecurity has gotten in there,” she added.
But that’s not all…
“I liked him. I was always so surprised when he thought I’d make fun of him. But doesn’t that show you he’s got heartache? Something’s broken inside because he did it. He had it and then let it go,” the actress said.
How interesting.
But now, his silence has been broken.
Following the airing of a documentary from TMZ about his life, Simmons posted a message on his Facebook account.
TMZ reports that it’s the first message directly from Simmons in 8 years.
He simply wrote: “Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love! ❤️ Love, Richard.”
It’s good to know he’s okay!