Here’s the good news: We finally have a solid idea of Richard Simmons’ whereabouts.
Now the bad news: He’s in the hospital.
Health expert Simmons, whose reclusive lifestyle has sparked a lot of speculation recently, has been hospitalized, his spokesman Michael Catalano told ABC News on Tuesday.
“Richard Simmons was hospitalized on Monday at an undisclosed location in California,” Catalano said. “After a few days of battling severe indigestion and discomfort while eating, we agreed it was best for him to seek treatment.”
Catalano added that Simmons, 68, is on the mend.
“He’s already feeling better and is expected to make a full recovery,” Catalano said.
Simmons’ well-being has been a source of intrigue of late, thanks largely to the podcast Missing Richard Simmons. In one episode Simmons’ friend and former masseur, Mauro Oliveira, said he believed Simmons is being held against his will by his housekeeper Teresa Reveles.
That claim was sharply denied by Simmons’ rep Tom Estey, who called Oliveira’s remarks a “complete load of crap.”
“Richard made a choice. To live a more private life. If he decides to come back, he’ll come back,” Estey told People in a statement. “People claim that it happened overnight. It really didn’t. We were turning down stuff for years and just kind of quieting down, and when he decides that he wants to come back, that’s when he’ll come back.”