Richard Simmons Breaks Years Of Silence, Says He's 'Living The Life He Has Chosen'

Richard Simmons hasn't been seen or heard from in years. There's been plenty of speculation as to why the over-the-top fitness personality has been out of the public eye.

Everything from his housekeeper keeping him hostage, to false claims that he was having medical procedures, have been mentioned as the reason Simmons left the spotlight.

Both Simmons and his publicist Tom Estey have called the concerns about his well-being unwarranted. Over the years they've maintained that he simply chose to be less publicly visible.

Richard Simmons and guests during Pat Buchanan Radio Show at Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, CA, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

A new documentary, TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons, is stirring up the whole conversation again. In the documentary, the reason for his disappearance is blamed on a birth defect.

"Something that happened to him at birth is directly connected to his disappearance — a birth defect that significantly affected one of his legs," TMZ managing editor Fabian Garcia declared in the doc. "He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems."

On Wednesday Simmons, 74, took to Facebook and posted a short message to his fans. It didn't address the documentary and simply read, "Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love. Love, Richard."

Fitness guru Richard Simmons sings alone with one the the 60s classic tunes playing during one of his classes at Slimmons Studio March 9 2013 in Beverly Hills. (Photo by Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

If Richard Is Happy, I'm happy!

Simmons' publicist Tom Estey confirmed that the social media message was written by the fitness guru himself. He also released a statement to the New York Post.

The brief statement says, "Richard is eternally grateful for the continuous outpouring of love and gratitude he has received from across the Globe.

"He is happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live."

Does anyone know what to make of this statement? Prior to packing up and going home I thought the life Simmons had chosen to live included permed hair, plenty of oil, and the shortest possible shorts matched with the brightest tank tops on the planet.

This new life is far from the one that made him a huge star. That's probably why his fans are so concerned about his well-being.

On the other hand, there has to be a lot of work that goes into being Richard Simmons. At what point is it still worth putting on the show?

I'm sure he had enough people sweat to the oldies where he can live out his days without leaving his house.

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: Richard Simmons attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for MTV)