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UPDATE
12:59 PM PT — Once again, Richard Simmons is clarifying an alarming post regarding his health … Wednesday afternoon he said the skin cancer incident “happened so many years ago,” and he was only mentioning it to implore folks to have a doctor check out any spots or skin abnormalities.
UPDATE
Richard says they were able to fully remove his cancerous growth. As for causing the panic among his fans, he says … “I guess I should be more careful about what I write about.”
Richard Simmons is sparking concern for his well-being once again … this time announcing he’s been diagnosed with cancer.
The fitness guru says he got the skin cancer diagnosis after a recent visit to the dermatologist — an appointment he made when he noticed a strange bump under his right eye that wouldn’t go away.
Richard said Tuesday, in a Facebook post, his doctor removed the blemish, examined it and came back with a basal cell carcinoma diagnosis — the most common form of skin cancer.
As the 75-year-old detailed it … he was referred to a specialist, who did a procedure that involved burning his skin twice — so all the cancer could be removed.
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This is the second time Richard has sparked concern for his health this week. Remember, a couple days ago, he announced on Facebook that he was dying.
After countless fans posted messages of love and concern, Richard clarified he wasn’t actually dying — anymore than the rest of us — and he apologized for causing any confusion.
Facebook/Richard Simmons
He explained … “Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today … I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have.”
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Richard has been interacting with his fans quite a bit in recent months — quite a turnaround, considering he completely disappeared from the public back in 2014.
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That fueled years of rumors about his well-being … until 2022, when we dropped “TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons,” detailing the real reasons he’s pulled back from his adoring fans.
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Most recently, he’s also been posting a lot about Pauly Shore‘s planned biopic about his life — a project Richard’s not down with, but Pauly insists he’s moving forward.
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As for Richard’s cancer diagnosis … he says the doctor wasn’t able to remove all the cancer, and he’ll be going back for another round of treatment.
