Fitness guru Richard Simmons who is known for “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” scared some of his followers when he posted a message about “dying” on Facebook on March 18, 2024. He started the post by writing, “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying.”
Jean_Nelson via Deposit PhotosSimmons didn’t mention his health again during the lengthy post. Instead, he informed readers, “The truth is we all are dying.” Then he added advice about how to live a healthy life with the days we all have left. He encouraged his followers to eat a healthy diet, exercise every day and “Tell the ones that you love that you love them. Hug those people and children who you really care for. A big hug really goes a long way.”Simmons ended the post by suggesting that his followers listen to a song by Tim McGraw titled “Live Like You Were Dying.”
The post certainly sounded cryptic and like a farewell message from Simmons, but a source who spoke to PEOPLE claims that’s not the case. The source said, “It’s important to know that helping and inspiring people has always been truly at the core of who he is. He’s happy and hopes his words will motivate others to be happy as well. The posts over the last couple of weeks are all significant — he’s digging deeper. These are just not motivational but also very personal. He’s showing sides of himself that we haven’t seen before.”
wikimediaStill, the post left many wondering if Simmons has received a terminal diagnosis. Days after the post, Simmons responded with another Facebook post. This time, he shared that he was diagnosed with Basel Cell Carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. He wrote two posts about the experience of being diagnosed and having his skin burned to remove the cancerous cells. The good news is that the doctor told him, “We got all the cancer cells out.” In a follow-up post, he shared that the skin cancer diagnosis actually happened “so many years ago.”Why do you think Simmons decided to tell his skin cancer story now? Why do you think he posted about “dying” when it sounds like he’s cancer free and most likely not dying any time soon?
