Celebrity fitness personality Richard Simmons is allegedly missing. It’s been roughly a year since Simmons has been in the public eye. Due to a frightening knee surgery, speculation has run rampant that the 66 year-old exercise celebrity might be suffering from a debilitating case of depression. From The Daily Mail:
His longtime spokesman Thomas Estey in November said Simmons was ‘sad’ over the ‘serious’ injury.
Estey shot down claims that Simmons had become a recluse in his Hollywood Hills mansion and was depressed over his poor health and recent death of his beloved Dalmatian, Hattie.
The exercise personality was known to be close friends with Joan Rivers, but did not attend her funeral earlier this year:
One friend, who did not wish to be named, told the celebrity news site: ‘There is no way he wouldn’t have gone to her funeral if he was OK.’
Simmons has also apparently abandoned his exercise studio, where he was regularly a fixture, and has failed to contact friends and family to inform them he is well.
‘If Richard is really OK and is aware people are extremely concerned about him, he’d pick up the phone and tell them to relax. But he hasn’t, and we’re worried sick,’ the friend said.
It has been reported in the past that Simmons is extremely afraid of any kind of surgery, having put off a recent knee replacement for roughly a decade. This second operation allegedly left him with limited physical abilities.
Here’s hoping Simmons heals soon and gets back to doing what he loves: making people with weird fitness fashion choices sweat!
(Via: The Daily Mail / TMZ)