The fitness celebrity, who was subject of podcast Missing Richard Simmons, released a statement on Facebook to say he was ‘just a little under the weather’

Fitness guru Richard Simmons is “not missing” according to a statement published on his personal website on Wednesday.

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The statement comes amid a three-year mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Simmons, a pop culture fixture since the 1980s.

“Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?! LOL Well by now you know that I’m not ‘missing’, just a little under the weather,” said a statement posted on Simmons’s Facebook page on Wednesday. “I’m sure I will be feeling good and back home in a couple of days.”

Fans have been concerned about Simmons’s wellbeing since he disappeared from the public eye in February 2014. That month, he abruptly stopped teaching his Slimmons fitness class in Beverly Hills, California. The disappearance seemed uncharacteristic for Simmons, known for his outgoing personality and for consistently showing up for class while being famous worldwide.

The concern inspired the podcast Missing Richard Simmons, hosted by Dan Taberski, who took Simmons’s fitness classes and said he had been to dinner at Simmons’s house. In the final episode of the series, which concluded last month, Simmons’s manager, Michael Catalano, said Simmons had heard “snippets” of the podcast.

In recent weeks, more information on Simmons’s state has emerged. A Los Angeles police department detective, Kevin Becker, said last month that rumors Simmons was being held hostage in his home were false.

“The fact of the matter is we went out and talked to him. He is fine, nobody is holding him hostage,” Becker said. “He is doing exactly what he wants to do. If he wants to go out in public or see anybody he will do that.”

On Monday, Simmons, 68, was hospitalized for severe indigestion, according to ABC News. The Facebook statement on Wednesday did not explain Simmons’s three-year absence. Instead, it encouraged people to seek out help when they have problems.

“We all think we should always be able to solve our problems all by ourselves and sometimes it’s just bigger than we are,” the statement said. “I reached out and I hope you will too. I’m sure there are people in your life who love and care for you and would do anything to help you with the challenges you face.”

This statement is the first public comment attributed to Simmons since March 2016, when he told Entertainment Tonight: “No one should be worried about me.”