Fitness enthusiast Richard Simmons 'not dying,' faces skin cancer with grit and humor: 'Don’t forget to pray'

In some recent Facebook posts, fitness enthusiast Richard Simmons reassured worried fans that he is "not dying" but admitted he has been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer that required several painful treatments.

Fans first became alarmed about Simmons' health earlier this week after he posted a message on multiple social media platforms announcing he was "dying."

"I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. 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," he posted to X on Monday morning.

Thankfully, the 75-year-old "Sweatin' to the Oldies" star meant only to remind each of us that we will all die someday. "Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today," he wrote a few hours later. "Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have."

Though the follow-up message brought a sigh of relief, Simmons added that he recently spotted a "strange looking bump" under his eye that led to some disturbing news. "[The doctor] comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer," Simmons wrote.

Fortunately, he was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, which the Daily Mail described as the "most common, least dangerous form of skin cancer." After the doctor relayed the name of the diagnosis, Simmons, always quick with a joke, replied, "Stop calling me dirty names."

"He laughed," Simmons recalled.

Though his prognosis looks good, Simmons, who has kept a low profile for the last decade or so, did have to undergo three separate burn treatments to remove the cancerous tissue completely — and apparently all on the same day. "There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument," Simmons said of the first treatment.

"As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can’t cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin."

After two more excruciating burn treatments, the doctor claimed that he had gotten "all the cancer cells out." Between the doctor's skill and some efficacious topical cream, Simmons said he now has no scar.

Simmons closed his message by acknowledging that he is lucky since so many people have been struck with far more aggressive and dangerous forms of cancer. He encouraged everyone to schedule regular checkups and to cherish their loved ones.

"Live today and don’t forget to pray."

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EXCLUSIVE: Richard Simmons Speaks Out on Where He's Been, Tells Fans Not to Worrywww.youtube.com