Richard Simmons Thanks Fans for 'Kindness and Love' Days After Documentary on His Disappearance

Vanessa Etienne
·2 min read

Richard Simmons is popping back on social media to share his appreciation.

On Wednesday, just days after the premiere of the TMZ documentary about the fitness icon's public disappearance, the 74-year-old thanked his fans for the love.

"Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love!  . Love, Richard," wrote Simmons on Facebook.

Simmons' manager Michael Catalano confirmed the post's authenticity to PEOPLE. "This was a personal post from Richard. He was moved by the reaction to the special and all the good wishes that he received. He was encouraged by the kindness."

Followers of Simmons flooded the comments section of the Facebook post.

"We miss you Richard but hope you are doing what is right for you. You have given me so much joy for years, it is your time now, you deserve peace and happiness," one fan wrote.

Another Facebook user commented, "I'm so proud of you for taking time for yourself. You've given so much of yourself to the world, and now it's your time. Good for you."

RELATED: Suzanne Somers Says She Realized Richard Simmons' 'Insecurity' Before His Public Disappearance

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

After decades in the spotlight, Simmons suddenly stopped teaching at his famous workout studio on Feb. 15, 2014, and has not been seen in public since.

The mystery surrounding his public disappearance has been fueled by the hit podcast Missing Richard Simmons, which gave rise to sensational claims that Simmons is being held hostage in his Hollywood Hills home by his housekeeper, possibly transitioning into a woman, and other theories.

richard-simmons1.jpg
richard-simmons1.jpg

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

In the recent documentary, which aired on FOX, TMZ analyzed the facts behind Simmons' departure from the public eye by speaking to a few people who knew him.

The special featured interviews with Suzanne Somers, writer Bruce Vilanch, and Simmons' longtime costume designer, Leslie Wilshire.

TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons is available now on Hulu and will stream for free on Tubi starting August 30.

With reporting by LIZ MCNEIL

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Pet Shop Boys: 'We should call our next tour Farewell'

    The pop group look back on 40 years of chart success, and discuss their 15th album, Nonetheless.

  • Huawei's smart car tech offers automakers route to China sales

    It's taken Huawei just four years to become a force in smart car technology, navigating the devastation of trade sanctions on its smartphones business while simultaneously developing a driver assistance system that is the darling of the Beijing auto show. Huawei Technologies has two huge booths at this week's event, and there are at least seven Chinese automakers touting its Qiankun installed in their cars as the most sophisticated advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) to date. Even Germany's Volkswagen will equip its China-made, China-bound Audi Q6L e-tron with Qiankun upon the car's 2025 launch, in Huawei's first deal with a foreign automaker, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

  • Madonna thanks children for support after ‘near-death experience’

    The US singer has performed around 80 dates in her Celebration Tour.

  • ‘Enough is enough’: Marcus Rashford hits out at abuse from Manchester United fans

    Marcus Rashford has hit out at the abuse he has suffered this season and said “enough is enough”.

  • Capsizing of Tuvalu boat carrying vaccines highlights climate change challenges, UNICEF says

    The capsizing of a boat carrying childhood vaccines and health workers in Tuvalu underscored the challenges of healthcare in remote Pacific Islands as they battle extreme weather caused by climate change, the U.N children's agency UNICEF said. UNICEF supports Pacific Islands with reliable supply of vaccines, a priority in a region where hospitals can run out of medicine because of remote locations.

  • Euro zone consumers lower inflation expectations again, ECB survey shows

    Euro zone consumers lowered their expectation for inflation over the next 12 months in March but continued to see price growth above the European Central Bank's 2% target further out, the ECB's Consumer Expectations Survey showed on Friday. Inflation has fallen quickly over the past year and the ECB is planning to cut interest rates in June but the outlook further out remains clouded by rising energy costs, stubbornly high services inflation and continued geopolitical tensions that threaten to disrupt trade. Euro zone consumers saw inflation in the next 12 months at 3.0%, a tad below the 3.1% expected a month earlier, the ECB said.

  • Decoding Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC): A Strategic SWOT Insight

    Unveiling the Financial and Strategic Position of Northrop Grumman Corp

  • Aimee Everett admits Palace’s impending promotion has left squad ‘shocked’

    Palace – subject to licensing approval – will join the top flight at a significant turning point for the WSL and Championship.

  • Triangle of Sadness to The Idea of You: the seven best films to watch on TV this week

    The Palme d’Or winner takes aim at the fashion world as models have a disastrous time on a luxury yacht, while Anne Hathaway falls for a boyband star in a swoony, steamy romance

  • Love Island's Molly Smith on trolls calling her 'too skinny'

    Ex-Love Islander Molly Smith shares how she handles trolls criticising her body and why she's so well matched to her younger boyfriend Tom.

  • Net zero does not mean ‘huge shift’ in everyday lives, top climate adviser says

    The shift to zero emissions is an investment strategy for the UK, Climate Change Committee chief executive Chris Stark said, as he leaves the role.

  • 29 Olympics, no medals? No problem. Quebec-led fencing squad hungry for history

    François Cauchon has had a lot on his plate recently — all of it good.He just graduated from McGill University with a degree in finance. He also just found out that he'll be headed to Paris this summer for the 2024 Olympic Games.Oh, and today's his birthday."It was a surreal feeling honestly," said Cauchon, who just turned 24. "I think that for every amateur and professional athlete, the Olympics is the holy grail of sports."Cauchon is among 14 fencers that will represent Canada in Paris — the c

  • Time to crack down on Ontario licence plates, STO says

    The revenue-starved bus network in Gatineau, Que., is calling for a crackdown on residents who keep their Ontario licence plates instead of paying renewal fees in Quebec that support transit.On Thursday, the board of directors for the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) put forward a resolution that the agency and the City of Gatineau join forces to pressure government authorities on the issue."I think it's a question of fairness toward the citizens of Gatineau," said Manoir-des-Trembles–V

  • Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code

    It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success. Documents obtained through access to information legislation shed new light on the federal government’s efforts to convince the two retailers to sign the grocery code of conduct, with cracks appearing in the months leading up to a House of Commons meeting where the grocers said they couldn't sign the near-complete code. “Ther

  • Mira Sorvino ‘gutsick’ over Harvey Weinstein convictions in New York being overturned

    After jailed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala’s argument that he didn’t receive a fair trial led to his convictions in New York being overturned, actress Mira Sorvino says she is “gutsick”.

  • Spice Girls’ reunion plans ‘in chaos’ after Geri Horner allegedly refused to film documentary

    Despite the band’s members reuniting for a singalong at Victoria Beckham’s recent 50th birthday, hopes for a Spice Girls’ reunion are said to be in “chaos” after Geri Horner allegedly refused to film a documentary.

  • Booze-free bottle shops aim to showcase variety, educate consumers

    Jonathan Barembruch and his wife would often sit with a glass of wine and unwind after long days at work. But when his wife became pregnant, Barembruch decided to find an alternative for their after-work tradition, setting out to find the best non-alcoholic drinks so the two could still carry on their evening ritual. Several online retailers sold non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits, but none of them offered enough information about the products, he recalled. It was hard to decide which one tast

  • Kelly Osbourne 'almost died' when she was shot by brother Jack

    Kelly Osbourne has revealed she "almost died" when she was shot in the leg by her brother Jack who was messing around with a pellet gun.

  • Government hits Canada Life with financial sanctions

    The federal government has begun imposing financial sanctions on Canada Life after months of outcry from public servants, retirees and their families who were left fighting for medical claims to be covered.Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) says it "is taking steps to address startup delays faced by Canada Life and has begun to apply financial consequence mechanisms under the contract," according to a statement from spokesperson Michèle LaRose.She said PSPC is not yet in a position to

  • N.W.T. appeal court panel orders new sentencing hearing for man convicted in Hay River killing

    A panel of N.W.T. Court of Appeal judges has ordered a new sentencing hearing for a Hay River man convicted of second-degree murder and robbery in the 2017 death of Alex Norwegian.The panel also changed his murder conviction to a manslaughter conviction.James Thomas was sentenced in 2021 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 10 years. He appealed that sentence and his conviction in March 2022, arguing his trial judge didn't apply the law correctly when it came to his murder charge.He