Richard Simmons closed his Slimmons Studio on Saturday, according to an announcement on the Slimmons Facebook page and multiple media reports.
In October, Simmons posted this on his Facebook page:
"Some of you may have heard that Slimmons will close next month. While it is true, it has been an amazing part of my life to teach, meet and support people from all over the world. I want to thank everyone who has come through those studio doors to laugh, cry and sweat with me! Remember to keep sweatin', keep movin' and most importantly go out and Vote! Love Richard xo"
Simmons shared a final goodbye on his website. In it, he said he would not be at the final class on Nov. 19. He wrote:
"I will not see you today because I am not very good at endings. I would just spend the whole time hugging and crying. My eyes would get puffy and red, my hair would get all frizzy and I’d be a mess. I cannot bear to be sad today. And you shouldn’t be sad either. This should be a celebration of our forty-plus years together dancin’ and sweatin’. So let’s turn this ending into a new beginning. Start your own chapter today. Do something new you’ve always wanted to do. Make a new friend. Exercise. Eat a healthy meal. Drink water. Track your food. Spend time with your family or the ones you love and those who love you back. But most importantly be good to yourself."
In the post, Simmons addressed rumors about his health (he was hospitalized in June for what Simmons has said was dehydration) and rumors and concerns that someone was keeping him away from public appearances since 2013:
"Please know that I am in good health and I am happy. No one has ever been able to tell me what to do and the same is true today. I am still independent, determined and opinionated. I simply am making a new beginning for myself--quietly and in my very own special way."
Simmons opened the studio in Beverly Hills, California, in 1974. Richard Catalano, Simmons' manager, told Entertainment Tonight that Simmons had not taught at the studio in two years and decided on his own that it was time to close the studio.
Fans shared pictures on the Slimmons Studio Facebook page of their visits to the studio.
Simmons was the keynote speaker at the Club Industry Show in 2010.