Richard Simmons caused quite the frenzy on social media Monday when he began a tweet with, "I am dying..."
Thankfully, the post followed up with the acknowledgement that we are all, in fact, dying (okay, true) and some health tips, but it did enough damage for the Sweating to the Oldies legend to post a clarification.
The fitness guru first tweeted the culprit of the mass hysteria:
"I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying."
We can totally understand how that would send some folks into shock.
But then he added:
"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."
"Why am I telling you this?"
In a series of tweets, Simmons first answered the question.
"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."
And then he listed some helpful healthy lifestyle tips.
But his initial tweet sent such a wave of worry through the Twitterverse...
@TheWeightSaint We will all meet again, Richard. Be in peace.— (@)
...that Simmons tweeted an apology and clarification later that afternoon.
He wrote:
"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"
Fans of the star appreciated the clarification, but many still felt it odd that Simmons posted such a cryptic message after a decade of being out of the public eye, which in and of itself has also resulted in speculation about the status of his wellbeing over the years.
But those who were panicking over Simmons' first tweet were just relieved.
A spokesman for Simmons, Tom Estey, also confirmed Simmons is in good health.
He told CNN:
“I can confirm with one hundred percent certainty that Richard is not dying."
“He’s, in fact, very healthy and happy. The sole purpose of the post was meant to be inspirational.”
What a relief!
