The news of Simmons’ death comes just one day after his 76th birthday.
Simmons stopped making most public appearances in 2014, which led to false rumors that he was being held against his will. In 2017, journalist Dan Taberski released a podcast called “Missing Richard Simmons,” investigating his sudden retreat from the public eye. Speculation continued, and in 2022, Simmons reassured fans through a statement to the New York Post that he was “happy, healthy, and living the life he has chosen.”