Just hours before word came that Richard Simmons had died at 76, the fitness expert was still updating his devoted followers on social media…

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Richard Simmons died at the age of 76, his longtime spokesman, Tom Estey, confirmed to PEOPLE.

Just hours before word came that Richard Simmons had died at the age of 76, the fitness expert was still updating his devoted followers on social media.

On Saturday, July 13, shortly before 8 a.m. PT, the professional fitness instructor posted a photo of himself in drag on many social media profiles, including Facebook and X (previously Twitter). His caption read: “Hello, lovely! Please don’t ruin my positive mood.”

One day earlier, on his 76th birthday, Simmons wrote a touching note to his admirers, stating that he “never got so many messages about my birthday in my life.”

Simmons just told PEOPLE in a story published on Friday how he intended to celebrate his birthday. He stated that he wanted to keep things simple and blow out a few candles.

“However, the candle will presumably be on a zucchini. “You know, I’m a vegetarian,” he began, before adding that he would eat “maybe one Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie.”

“I feel good!” the late singer said during the interview. “I am thankful to be alive for another day. I will spend my birthday doing what I do every day: helping people.”

Tom Estey, the professional fitness coach’s longtime publicist, confirmed Simmons’ death to PEOPLE on Saturday. TMZ was the first to publish the news, citing law enforcement sources.

Authorities responded to a call from the former Richard Simmons Show star’s housekeeper about 10 a.m. PT on Saturday but suspected no foul play.

“The world has truly lost an angel,” Estey told PEOPLE about Simmons.

The former TV personality has been almost completely out of the public eye since 2014, when he gave his final class at Slimmons, his famed Beverly Hills fitness club. He initially announced he was taking time off to heal from a knee ailment, but he never appeared in public again, and Slimmons shuttered in November 2016.

That same year, allegations circulated concerning the celebrity, including the claim that he was being imprisoned at his house against his will, but he repeatedly stated that he needed time off to relax and get away from the spotlight.

“I do what I want to do, as I’ve always done,” he said on the Today show. “I’ve taught thousands of classes, and right now I simply want to take care of myself. I honestly don’t want to do anything. I just don’t want to travel anymore. It has certainly taken a toll on me.

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