'SAD NEWS'
Richard Simmons, 75, diagnosed with cancer and has procedure that ‘burned his skin’ one day after he admits he’s ‘dying’
Richard sparked concern for his health in 2014 when he retired from the spotlight
FITNESS guru Richard Simmons has revealed a skin cancer diagnosis.
The 75-year-old underwent a procedure that "burned" his skin to get rid of a “strange-looking bump” under his right eye.
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In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Richard revealed he went to see a dermatologist after becoming concerned that the bump wasn't going away.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope,” he recalled.
“Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. ‘You have cancer.’
"I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed."
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Basal cell carcinoma - the most common form of skin cancer.
The '80s icon was referred to a specialist and recalled meeting other skin cancer patients in the waiting room.
“I was shocked to see all of the skin cancers that they had. Some had cancer on top of their heads … their face … and their neck,” he wrote.
The former fitness coach - who retired from the spotlight in 2014 - was told the doctor would “burn my skin to remove the cancer cells."
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“There was no numbing, it just had to be done with a small instrument,” he said.
“As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek ... The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes."
Richard claimed the doctor told him to come back in "an hour and a half" to find out if all the cancer was gone.
“I went back to some sad news," he continued.
“He burned my face again. This time was worse than before … It was deeper. I did not cry this time but I did grit my teeth."
"To be continued," he concluded the post.
He did not reveal more details about the treatment but later explained the diagnosis came "years ago."
In a post some hours later, he added, "I have had a tremendous amount of responses on my message regarding skin cancer.
"It happened so many years ago. The reason I wrote these two messages is that if you see a spot on your body please go to your doctor …so they can diagnose it right away.
"I guess I should be more careful about what I write about."
ALARMING POST
Richard's skin cancer reveal comes after he claimed he was "dying" in a concerning post on Facebook on Monday.
“I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am…. dying," he wrote.
"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? 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.”
The TV personality also stressed the importance of having three healthy meals a day and exercising regularly.
RICHARD'S APOLOGY
Richard later apologized for worrying fans with the post and insisted he is not dying.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion."
His longtime friend also told PEOPLE that Richard is “healthy and happy" and that his post was “purely an inspirational message."
Richard shot to fame as an eccentric weight loss guru.
After moving to Los Angeles in the '70s, he took an interest in healthy living and lost over 100 pounds.
He started an exercise studio called The Anatomy Asylum, which turned fitness into a fun activity and stressed the importance of positivity and healthy eating.
He turned the studio, now called Slimmons, into a fitness empire.
The energetic TV personality is also well known for his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos.
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He retired from the public eye in 2014.
Speculations and concerns about his health began to surface online several years later.
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