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Richard Simmons announces skin cancer diagnosis after ‘dying’ scare

PEOPLE
Richard Simmons

Fitness guru Richard Simmons this week announced his diagnosis with skin cancer, just after quelling fears he was dying.

The reclusive personality, 75, on Tuesday revealed in a Facebook post how he discovered a “blemish” on his face was actually cancerous.

“Mirror mirror on the wall what’s that blemish which is so small? There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of Neosporin which I would put on [in] the morning and the evening … it was still there,” he said.

Simmons recalled a subsequent nerve-wracking trip to the dermatologist, where the doctor needed “to scrape it and put it under the microscope.”

Within 20 minutes, Simmons was informed he had basal cell carcinoma. Though the Mayo Clinic notes this often presents as a “transparent bump” on parts of the skin exposed to the sun, like the head or neck, it can take other forms.

“I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed,” said Simmons, who then went to cosmetic and skin cancer surgeon Dr. Ralph Massey to have the bump burned “to remove the cancer cells.

“The burning really hurt my skin,” he wrote, noting he had to repeat the process as the doctor had yet to “get it all out.”

“This time was worse than before … It was deeper. I did not cry this time but I did grit my teeth.”

Simmons on Monday scared his followers when he posted that he was “dying.”

“The truth is we all are dying,” he added. “Every day we live we are getting closer to our death,” he said reminding followers to “tell the ones that you love that you love them.”

In the hours leading up to announcing his diagnosis, Simmons issued an apology “for this confusion, noting: “I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have.”

Simmons has made headlines several times in recent months amid news that Pauly Shore would portray him in an upcoming film, “The Court Jester,” a film for which Simmons said he had “never given my permission.”

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Bruce Springsteen

PHOENIX — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to the stage Tuesday evening at the Footprint Center in Phoenix in a triumphant reboot of the Boss’ postponed 2023 world tour.

In September Springsteen, 74, announced his tour would be delayed until 2024, citing doctor’s advice as he recovered from peptic ulcer disease.

“The Boss” arrived on stage to an audience chorus of “Bruuuuce!” Wearing dark jeans and a rolled up red plaid flannel shirt, he had the energy of a man half his age. His signature “One, two, three, four” was the only thing that separated most songs, showing no signs of his illness from the previous year. Once he shouted, “Good evening, Arizona” the show was off and running.

Springsteen spoke to the crowd briefly about his illness before playing his final song “I’ll See You In My Dreams” solo on stage. “Phoenix, first I want to apologize if there was any discomfort because we had to move the show last time … I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much.”

The 29-song show came in just under three hours, but “The Boss” hardly broke a sweat while showing off a strong voice, all the while dancing, tearing into guitar solos, playing the harmonica and even ripping his shirt open near the end of the show.

On stage with Springsteen was the legendary E Street Band which features drummer Max Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent, keyboardists Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano, guitarists Stevie Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, saxophonist Jake Clemons — nephew of original and still missed sax man Clarence Clemons who died in 2011 — guitarist and violin player Soozie Tyrell, a full horn and brass section and four backup vocalists. The only missing member of the band was Springsteen’s wife, singer and guitarist Patti Scialfa.

Springsteen performed most of the hits in his vast collection, minus “Born In The U.S.A.,” but he added covers “Nightshift” by the Commodores, “Because The Night” by Patti Smith Group, and a surprise: “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. Fans went wild for “No Surrender,” “Born To Run,” “Rosalita,” “Dancing In The Dark,” “Glory Days” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that left the rocker grinning from ear-to-ear as he conducted fans singing along like his own chorus.

This year has been particularly challenging for Springsteen. In addition to his health issues, in January his mother, Adele Ann Springsteen, a fan favorite who could frequently be seen dancing at his shows, died. She was 98.

Two days after her death, Springsteen performed at the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year event, which honored Jon Bon Jovi for his musical achievements and philanthropic efforts.

The 2024 edition of the tour kicked off in Phoenix and ends Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Canada. It hits 17 countries across 52 dates, including a special performance on Sept. 15 where Springsteen will headline the Sea. Hear. Now Festival in his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

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Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande has one less problem — and more than a million fewer dollars — now that she and ex Dalton Gomez have finalized their divorce.

The 30-year-old “Thank U, Next” singer’s marriage to the luxury real estate agent, 28, was officially dissolved in Los Angeles on Tuesday, just over six months after they both filed for divorce, according to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight.

The former couple — who were first linked amid the pandemic in 2020 and wed in the spring 2021 — had a prenup in place, stipulating the Grammy winner would fork over a one-time, tax-free payment of $1.25 million, as well as pony up $25,000 for Gomez’s legal fees, per their settlement in October.

“There is still a strong mutual love and respect between Ariana and Dalton and they wanted to make sure everything was done right in lockstep with one another,” an insider close to the situation told TMZ at the time.

While their split wasn’t made public until last summer, Grande and Gomez parted ways in February 2023, according to the pop star’s divorce filing. Both filings cited “irreconcilable differences.”

But news of the split itself was quickly overshadowed by reports days later of Grande’s new romance with her 31-year-old “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater.

Less than a week later, Slater, known for playing SpongeBob on Broadway, filed for divorce from wife Lilly Jay. The reported high school sweethearts, who welcomed a son in 2022, tied the knot in 2018.

It’s still unclear when Grande and Slater started dating, though the timelines have certainly inspired speculation.

A source last summer told Entertainment Tonight that the pair “didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others.”

From combined wire services

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