Two days before his death at age 76, Richard Simmons spoke about the bond he shared with his fans.
The reclusive fitness guru died on Saturday, July 13, but in a chat with PEOPLE that took place just a two days earlier, Simmons said that he knew he had been missed by his many supporters since he retreated from the public eye a decade ago.
“I know people miss me,” Simmons said. “And you know what? I miss them, too. But I’m able to reach them through phone calls … and through emails. And I do leave the house sometimes. But I’m in disguise.”
Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles — just one day after his 76th birthday. His publicist Tom Estey confirmed the news in an email to The Associated Press. He gave no further details, but his cause of death is still being investigated, the Los Angeles Police Department confirms to PEOPLE.
In an email to Postmedia, Estey said he was “devastated” by Simmons’ death.
“I’ve spent 32 glorious years representing this kind, generous, brilliant and loving man,” Estey wrote. “His family and I are devastated by his passing. The world lost an angel walking amongst us. I can say with 100% certainty there will never be another like him. We ask that you celebrate and respect his memory.”
The celebrity fitness ambassador rose to prominence in the 1980s due to his flamboyant media presence as he shared weight-loss tips and hosted the Emmy-winning daytime Richard Simmons Show. The author of several best-selling books, Simmons also opened exercise studios and starred in aerobics videos, including the wildly successful Sweatin’ to the Oldies line, which became a cultural phenomenon.
“My food plan and diet are just two words — common sense. With a dash of good humour,” he told The Associated Press in 1982. “I want to help people and make the world a healthier, happy place.”
When Simmons hadn’t been seen in public for several years, some news outlets speculated that he was being held hostage in his own house. In telephone interviews with Entertainment Tonight and the TODAY show, Simmons refuted the claims and told his fans he was enjoying the time by himself.
But Simmons assured readers that he had been keeping in touch with fans telling PEOPLE that he responded to “100 emails daily.”
“I never lived a celebrity life. I never thought of myself as a celebrity. People don’t know this, I’m really a shy person and a little bit of an introvert,” he said. “But when that curtain goes up that’s a different story. I’m there to make people happy. But the accolades I get from emails. I mean, today most probably, we’ll answer over 100 emails. And they’ll say, ‘I’m your No. 1 fan.’ And I just write back, and I say, you know, ‘Don’t say that because I’m a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too.’”
Elsewhere in his PEOPLE interview, Simmons spoke about his cancer scare earlier this year.
“Basal cell carcinoma, it was scary. But it never came back. So many people have cancer,” he said. “I call them, I sing to them. ‘You’re gonna get through this. You just have to believe that’ … I’m grateful I get to live another day.”
At the time of his death, Simmons had written 14 songs for a Broadway show that he told PEOPLE would be about his life.
“The whole show is about my life — from selling pralines in New Orleans at a candy store when I was a kid, to when I decided to retire,” he said. Simmons then asked if he could read a passage he had written just last week.
“How do you deal with loss? It takes a toll on your heart. Some shed many tears, others stare at the sky. It’s so hard to say goodbye. Here is what I know when it’s time for us to go, beautiful angels will greet us with a smile and a hello.”
Simmons had cautiously stepped back into the public eye, posting messages on social media. He even shared a birthday message with his fans on Facebook.
“So many of you have sent me birthday wishes on my Facebook and other platforms,” he shared. “I really appreciate that. I don’t know when your birthday is but I wish you a happy and healthy birthday!”
Jason Sheeler, who conducted the interview with Simmons, said the fitness icon was upbeat and looking ahead to the future when they spoke.
“He had many things in the works,” Sheeler explained in an interview with the TODAY show. “There’s a documentary that was getting made about him, with which he was participating. There’s a Broadway show that he was co-writing. So there’s a lot of things he was excited about.”
Earlier this year, Simmons apologized for alarming fans after sharing a cryptic social media post in which he wrote: “I am … dying.”
Simmons scared followers on Facebook and X when he posted a message filled with existential dread.
“Please don’t be sad. I am … dying. 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,” he wrote back in March.
“Why am I telling you this? 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 urged his followers to eat right, exercise, dole out hugs and listen to good music.
“Start with a healthy breakfast … Every day that you are alive you have got to move … There is something else very important that you must do. 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,” he added.
“If you have time I want you to listen to a terrific song. It is by Tim McGraw it is called Live Like You Were Dying. Live today and don’t forget to pray,” he concluded his message.
The lengthy post caused a minor stir online as Simmons’ name became a trending search on X.
“Protect this man,” one person wrote. “He is a national treasure.”
Simmons later apologized for the confusion surrounding his message. “Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today,” he wrote in a social media psot. “Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have … Love, Richard.”