Happy birthday! Richard Simmons celebrated his 69th birthday on Wednesday, July 12. His rep shared with Us Weekly exclusively that Simmons spent the big day “celebrating with his family and friends.”
The fitness guru’s birthday comes after a whirlwind year filled with headline-making allegations. As previously reported by Us Weekly, LAPD did a welfare check on Simmons in March after his former massage therapist repeated allegations on popular podcast Finding Richard Simmons that he was being held hostage by his housekeeper Teresa Reveles. The claims stemmed from Simmons not being seen in public since 2014.
Simmons’ rep denied the allegations and LAPD confirmed that Simmons was “perfectly fine.”
The icon also shut down his famous workout studio last year after 42 years of successful transformations. In October 2016, he broke his silence by posting about the news on Facebook. “It has been an amazing part of my life to teach, meet and support people from all over the world,” the exercise guru wrote in a post at the time. “I want to thank everyone who has come through those studio doors to laugh, cry and sweat with me! Remember to keep sweatin’, keep movin’ and most importantly go out and Vote! Love Richard xo.”
In April, Simmons also spoke out after he was hospitalized for “severe indigestion.”
“Hello to everyone who has shown concern for me and sent their good wishes,” he wrote on Facebook on April 19. “You will never know how much it means to me. Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?! LOL Well by now you know that I’m not ‘missing,’ just a little under the weather. I’m sure I will be feeling good and back home in a couple of days. … Just knowing you care has already made me feel better. Hope to see you again soon!”
