Richard Simmons predicted his shock disappearance after creepy note kick-started his career as fitness guru

AT his peak, weight loss guru Richard Simmons had a daily audience of millions who followed his every word on how to shed the pounds.

But when the fitness expert, 74 – famous for his outlandish exercise outfits – disappeared from public life in 2014 there was much confusion about where he had gone.

A number of online rumors and theories emerged, including the suggestion he had been held hostage by his housekeeper – something strongly denied by his team.

Others wrongly suggested he had changed his gender and was living as a woman. Again, this claim was rebuked by his reps.

Nevertheless, his absence from the public eye inspired the popular podcast “Missing Richard Simmons”. He will now also be the focus of a new TV documentary attempting to shed some light on the mystery.

And its now emerged the New Orleans native – who transformed his body after an anonymous note told him “fat people die young” – had once appeared to predict his own disappearance.

Simmons told People magazine in 1981: “I work real hard to make people laugh and to make them think.”

“The day I don’t love any of this, I’ll walk away,” he added.

Now, nearly a decade later fans are still questioning his lengthy absence from the spotlight and wondering what happened to the  reclusive diet guru.

NEW DOC

A new documentary TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons?, aims to find out.

TMZ founder Harvey Levin told Fox4 they have two possible answers for what sparked his disappearance.

He said: “He [Simmons] was everywhere…and then everything just ended. There are all sorts of wild theories.”

“We have answers – we know what happened to Richard Simmons, where he is and what he does, ” Levin added.

“There are two big things and probably either one could have caused this, one more than the other.

“But a lot of them we show are just ridiculous, even thought they’ve got a lot of oxygen.”

Levin said: “We found out he likes going to the beach, he’ll go shopping.

“There has not been a single paparazzi agency…that has gotten anything of Richard Simmons out in public in more than eight years.”

FOUND FAME

Simmons had made a name for himself running gyms and helping people to lose weight.

The fitness expert told People he had kick-started his career after receiving the anon note on his car which read: “Fat people die young; please don’t die.”

He himself had been 268 pounds before changing his lifestyle and losing more than 100lb.

But after 2014 he simply appeared to vanish with the exception of a few public statements.

TMZ’s Levin added: “We used to get Richard out all the time. And he just vanished.”

RUMORS CIRCULATE

Since then a number of rumors have circulated as to his whereabouts and what had happened to him.

One claimed he was allegedly being held hostage by his housekeeper. 

However, his brother Lenny denied all of the strange reports and said that Simmons is looking after himself and is doing just fine.

“After 40-some odd years, he just decided that he wants to rest,” said Lenny in 2017, adding that his brother is in good health and “just wants time for himself”.

Simmons’ spokesperson, Tommy Estey said: “He’s helped millions of people lose millions of pounds. And for 40 years, he took care of everyone but himself.”

In 2017 Simmons spoke directly to his fans, saying, “Hope to see you again soon!”.

That came after he was reportedly hospitalized for severe indigestion.

He said: “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.”

The statement marked Simmons’ first public comments since calling into Entertainment Tonight in 2016.

‘A LONER’

Then, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Simmons sort of came out of retirement by re-releasing archival footage of his workouts on his YouTube channel.

“We have had an overwhelming request for Richard to return in some way as a comfort to all dealing with the pandemic,” a rep told Fox News at the time.

“We thought we would start by re-releasing some workouts and other inspirational content on his YT channel. Richard is very touched by the outreach.”

In an interview with The Denver Post in 2008, Simmons said he was a loner with few friends, adding: ” I don’t have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people.”

Decades earlier, he told People: “I’m not a phony playing a character on Happy Days. I’m a person with faults and insecurities evident every day. What you see is what you get.”

Now fans are wondering when they might get to see the iconic weight loss guru once again.