Richard Simmons’ self-imposed exile has pushed him to a breaking point, and he’s telling friends he “can’t take it any more!”

Breaking Celebrity News has obtained an explosive audio recording that captures the former fitness guru sobbing and breaking down on a tragic voicemail.

“I’ve just driven myself for three hours around the city,” Simmons cries in the chilling tape, offering a glimpse into his sad and lonely life.

“I can’t take it any more,” he sobs to the friend. “I can’t take it!”

A rep for Simmons said, “we suspect this recording was made years ago and does not reflect Mr. Simmons’ current state of mind.”

But as Breaking Celebrity News has reported, Simmons has not been seen in public since 2014.

He was hospitalized on April 18, reportedly for “severe indigestion,” but remained in doctors’ care overnight, deepening the mystery about his retreat from the public eye.