Fitness guru Richard Simmons announced that he's been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, after previously sharing a post in which he wrote "I am dying" on social media.
Simmons, 75, said he noticed this strange looking bump under my right eye” that didn't disappear, which led to him calling his dermatologist.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope,” the fitness guru wrote. “Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. ‘You have cancer.’”
Simmons' diagnosis reveal came days after he shared a post about dying on social media, clarifying on Monday (March 18) that he was not dying and apologized for the "confusion."
"Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. 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. Sorry for this confusion. Love, Richard," Simmons wrote on his X account.
Simmons, known for his eccentric, flamboyant and energetic personality, gained fame through his weight-loss programs and aerobics videos, most notably his 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' series. The instructor has not made any major public appearances since 2014.