Richard Simmons took to social media on Thursday to thank his fans with his first personal message after a long absence.
“Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love! 
. Love, Richard,” Simmons, 74, wrote alongside a photo of a smiling face emoji holding up a “thank you” banner shared on Facebook.
The note follows the release of “TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons” on FOX and Hulu, a documentary covering much of his life and career as a fitness professional, as well as his disappearance from public life around 2014.
Sources tell TMZ that Simmons was thrilled and “extremely moved by the response of thousands of his fans who sent well wishes” after the broadcast.
Followers continued to encourage Simmons through his comment section, with one fan writing, “I’m so proud of you for taking time for yourself. You’ve given so much of yourself to the world, and now it’s your time. Good for you 
Thank you for blessing and inspiring me so richly 
.”
Another follower of the ’80s icon added: “You’ve been such a wonderful person, showing such compassion and care for so many people. The world loves you. I hope you now enjoy your time to yourself and have everything you could ever want, because you deserve it.”
Despite several rumors that Simmons was held hostage by his housekeeper and that he was undergoing gender reassignment surgery, the new doc points out that a lifelong birth defect in one of his feet was the reason Simmons withdrew from the spotlight.
“Something that happened to him at birth is directly related to his disappearance — a birth defect that significantly affected one of his legs,” TMZ editor-in-chief Fabian Garcia said in the document. “He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems.”