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Shuttered! Richard Simmons's landmark LA fitness studio closes its doors as reclusive star stays away telling fans 'I'm not good with endings'

Published: 19:37 EST, 19 November 2016 | Updated: 20:27 EST, 19 November 2016

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The Slimmons Studio in Los Angeles held its final class on Saturday but founder Richard Simmons was a no-show as his landmark venue closed its doors for the last time.

The 68-year-old fitness guru has been out of the public eye for more than two years although he has been posting messages on Facebook about the closure of the studio.

In a long farewell message, Simmons explained: 'I will not see you today because I am not very good at endings. I would just spend the whole time hugging and crying. My eyes would get puffy and red, my hair would get all frizzy and I’d be a mess.'

'I cannot bear to be sad today. And you shouldn’t be sad either. This should be a celebration of our forty-plus years together dancin’ and sweatin’.'

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No goodbye in person: Richard Simmons, seen here in 2013, did not show up to say farewell to fans in person as his landmark Slimmons Studio in LA held its final class Saturday

The Sweatin' To The Oldies star continued: 'It’s been over forty years now, and I am finally taking my own advice. I am being kind to myself, and putting myself first.'

'I am making changes and taking time to do the things I want to do. Please know that I am in good health and I am happy.'

He then urged his fans to continue to pursue a healthy lifestyle without him.

Closed for good: The fitness guru opened the studio in Beverly Hills in 1974 but led classes himself, but hadn't been seen there for more than two years

Working it: The Sweatin' To The Oldies star has been a popular workout star for decades and his eccentric and flamboyant personality won him legions of fans and a TV career

'You know, I’ve always said I am with you every step of the weigh. And you have been with me, at my side always, in happy times and sad,' he wrote. 'We laughed and cried together and have memories to last ten lifetimes.'

'Truly, you don’t need me to tell you what to do anymore. You know. It’s within you. It’s in your heart and it’s been there all along. So get up and get moving!'

Simmons signed off with an exhortation: 'Be kind to one another, be kind to your body and be kind to yourself.'

Reclusive: In the last couple of years, Simmons, pictured at Macy's 2013 Thanksgiving Parade , has withdrawn from public life. In a statement Friday he thanked fans for 'always loving me'

He had millions of fans: The TV star made working out fun with costumes and hit songs

Back in June, Simmons was admitted to hospital in Los Angeles suffering from dehydration.

There has also been speculation in the past that had become recluse because he was effectively being held 'hostage' by his longtime housekeeper Teresa Reveles.

The LAPD did a welfare check in January 2015 and found he was fine.

The scandal forced him to call into chat shows to deny the reports and insist that all was well.

'No one should be worried about me. The people that surround me are wonderful people who take great care of me,' he said.

Of Reveles, he added: 'She's been with me for 30 years. It's almost like we're a married couple.'

Simmons shot to fame in the early 1980s after appearing on NBC reality show Real People.

He became a regular guest on late night talk shows, was a staple of several hit game shows including Hollywood Squares and appeared as himself in several TV shows.