Richard Simmons posted on social media just hours before his death

Just hours before the news broke that Richard Simmons had died at the age of 76, the fitness guru kept his loyal fans updated on social media.

Just before 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 13, the professional fitness trainer shared a post on several of his social media pages, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) with a photo that appears to show him in a woman’s costume. His caption read: “Hi beautiful! Please don’t spoil my mood.”

A day earlier, on his 76th birthday, Simmons shared a heartfelt message about the support he received from his fans, writing that he had “never received so many messages on my birthday in my life.”

“I’m sitting here writing emails. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your Friday,” he wrote in one of his last posts on July 12.

Simmons recently spoke to PEOPLE about how he planned to celebrate his birthday in an article published Friday, saying he wanted to keep it simple and blow out a few candles.

“But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian,” he said, before admitting that he would “maybe try a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie.”

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“I feel good!” the late star explained in the interview. “I’m grateful to be here and to be alive for another day. I’m going to spend my birthday doing what I do every day: helping people.”

The professional fitness trainer’s longtime publicist, Tom Estey, confirmed Simmons’ death to PEOPLE on Saturday. TMZ was the first to report the news, citing law enforcement reports.

The authorities responded to a call from the former Richard Simmons Show The outlet reported that the woman was kidnapped by the star’s housekeeper around 10:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, adding that no foul play was suspected.

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

The former TV star had disappeared almost entirely from the public eye since 2014, when he taught his last class at his legendary Beverly Hills gym, Slimmons. Although he initially announced he was taking time off to recover from a knee injury, he was never seen in public again after that and closed Slimmons in November 2016.

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That same year, rumors began to circulate about the star, including that he was being held at home against his will. However, he made it clear on several occasions that he wanted some time off to rest and be out of the spotlight.

“I do what I want to do, like I always have,” he told the Today Show at the time. “I’ve taught thousands and thousands of courses and, you know, right now I just want to take care of myself. I just really don’t want to do anything. I just don’t want to travel anymore. It’s certainly taken its toll on me.”