Sounds like a much better strategy than annoying us all with media adulation. Maybe there are some positives to going that length for the sake of privacy.
If he was healthy don't worry, we would see his face on every billboard, newspaper, TV ad, and other formats advertising caffeine drinks, car brands, electronics, watches or whatnot. We'd all forcefully learn about his new lover, yacht, or car. But well things went south... "now I'm not a celebrity!".