Eclectic fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76, according to his representative.
Police officers and firefighters responded to his Los Angeles home after they received a call from his housekeeper on Saturday just before 10 a.m., law enforcement sources told TMZ. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.
Simmons exact cause of death was not immediately unclear. Authorities believe he died of natural causes and do not suspect foul play at this time.
The shocking news comes after Simmons worried fans with a cryptic Facebook message in March, in which he told his followers he was “dying.”
He returned to the platform hours later to address the concerning post.
“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 wrote on his Facebook account. “It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for the confusion.”
The following day, he announced he’d been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Mere hours before the news of his death broke, a post was shared to Simmons’ social media accounts which read, “Hello gorgeous! Please don’t rain on my parade.”
Simmons, who once struggled with his weight and overeating, moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s, where he opened his own exercise studio, the Anatomy Asylum. It placed an emphasis on healthy eating and portion control and provided a supportive environment for anyone interested in wellness.
The studio was later renamed “Slimmons” and continued operations in Beverly Hills, where Simmons taught weekly aerobics classes. It closed in 2016.
Simmons, beloved for his flamboyant energy and outfits, is perhaps best known for his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout videos, released in 1988.
Simmons had just celebrated his 76th birthday on Friday.
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