Richard Simmons BREAKS SILENCE: Reclusive fitness guru is ‘happy’ on 75th birthday in RARE statement

Richard Simmons made an extremely rare public statement on Thursday to celebrate his 75th birthday.

Although he didn’t share a personal message with the public and his fans, he did allow his representative to speak on his behalf.

‘This is a big milestone. I just want to see him happy, which he is,’ said his rep Tom Estey about the special occasion to ET.

It is a rare form of communication from the former fitness guru, who has largely hidden from the public eye since 2014.

He was previously spotted in 2017 when he checked out of a hospital after being treated for severe indigestion.

Checking in: Richard Simmons, who has largely hidden from the public eye, issued a rare statement on Thursday to celebrate turning 75; seen in October 2013 in NYC

Update: ‘This is a big milestone. I just want to see him happy, which he is,’ said his rep Tom Estey about the special occasion to ET; pictured in 1992 in Los Angeles

However, he tried to avoid being seen by nearly covering himself head-to-toe with a blanket, which then required his housekeeper to lead him to a waiting car. 

His abandonment of the spotlight shocked many friends and admirers at the time, and even generated an investigative podcast, documentaries and half-baked claims that his housekeeper was holding him hostage.

Since 2014, Simmons has only spoken to the public via a few phone interviews and rare statements from his representatives. 

Fans previously got news of the Sweatin’ To The Oldies star when a friend shared details about his currently life to ET in 2018, just ahead of his 70th birthday.

‘He’s doing very well. He’s his jovial self. He spends most of his time at home and in his yard,’ the source claimed at the time.

They added that he had been making progress on his ‘reading’ queue, and that he ‘does what he wants to do.’

‘He deserves this time to himself,’ the friend continued. ‘Seventy years is a milestone but he doesn’t look at it that way.’

Simmons’ quiet years couldn’t be a greater contrast from when he was at the height of his fame in the 1980s and ’90s, when he opened his own exercise studio after losing more than 100lbs.

The Beverly Hills studio, which came to be known as Slimmons, proved to be a popular spot for those looking to lose weight, as Simmons felt that gyms at the time were more focused on catering to people who were already in pristine shape, rather than those looking to get healthier.

He further increased his public profile with a string of appearances on game shows, talk shows and even soap operas, but it was his line of videotapes in the Sweatin’ To The Oldies that made him an inescapable part of the culture.

Out of sight: The Sweatin’ To The Oldies star has only rarely addressed the public via a handful of phone interviews and statements from his representatives in nearly a decade; seen in 2013 at his now-defunct Slimmons Studio in Beverly Hills

Exercise icon: Simmons rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s with his exercise studio Slimmons and his massively popular VHS tapes in the Sweatin’ To The Oldies series; seen in December 2013 in LA

His original 1988 tape was reportedly the best-selling fitness video of all time, and it grossed a jaw-dropping $200 million, according to the New York Post.

Simmons continued to make regular appearance up through 2013, but then mysteriously exited public life in 2014. From then he never made a major public appearances and very rarely was seen leaving his home.

In 2017, the Missing Richard Simmons podcast investigated his retreat from public life and claims that his housekeeper was involved in keeping away from outside eyes.

It proved to be a hit with listeners, but critics were harder on it, with many opining that it constituted an invasion of Simmons’ privacy since there was scant evidence that he was being abused or controlled.

In March of 2017, LAPD detectives visited Simmons’ home to conduct a welfare check.

They later said that he was ‘perfectly fine,’ adding that he was ‘doing what he wants to do and it is his business.’ 

In the 2022 documentary TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened To Richard Simmons, the publication claimed that a birth defect that had been troubling him was the reason for his disappearance from the public eye.

‘Something that happened to him at birth is directly connected to his disappearance — a birth defect that significantly affected one of his legs,’ said TMZ editor Fabian Garcia. ‘He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems.’

Charles Latibeaudiere, who produced the documentary, also claimed that he had gained a significant amount of weight after finding ‘comfort in food.’

‘And that put a lot of stress on his knees,’ he added. 

Nothing to see here: LAPD detectives performed a welfare check at his home in 2017 and said that he was ‘perfectly fine’ afterward; seen in November 2013 in NYC

Medical issue? A 2022 documentary claimed he left the spotlight after gaining weight in 2014 due to a birth defect with his foot that made it difficult for him to properly move and exercise; seen in 2013 in LA

After the doc’s release, Simmons shared a statement with the New York Post via his representative.

‘Richard is eternally grateful for the continuous outpouring of love and gratitude he has received from across the Globe,’ Estey said. ‘He is happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.’

Days later, Simmons shared a message to Facebook that was said to have been ‘personally composed’ by him.

‘Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love. Love, Richard,’ he wrote.