Bethenny Frankel pays tribute to late boyfriend Dennis Shields
"Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel has broken her silence about the death of Dennis Shields, her on-and-off-again financier boyfriend. Shields was found dead at his Trump Tower home Friday.
Frankel posted a photo on Instagram of Shields lying in bed with Frankel's dog, who also died recently. "Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever," she wrote.
Frankel was also spotted attending Shields' funeral on Long Island, New York, on Monday.
CBS New York reported that Shields, 51, died of a suspected overdose. He asked his assistant to administer Narcan around 9 a.m. after he thought he overdosed on prescription pills, sources said, according to the station.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) said Friday in a statement it was investigating the death of a man who was "believed to be" Shields and that an investigation was ongoing.
"We will release cause and manner of death when completed," Aja Worthy-Davis, executive director for public affairs at the OCME, said in a statement.
Frankel's friend told People that the reality star and Shields were still seeing each other recently and that Shields even proposed to her.
"He proposed to her with a ring in April. She wasn't wearing the ring," the source told People. "There were some hurdles to overcome before she could make that level of a commitment. She loved him. He's her family and her best friend and her confidante. Her partner and her business partner."
Frankel and Shields began dating in 2016 but knew each other for much longer. Their on-again, off-again relationship was documented on Season 10 of "Housewives." It was Frankel's first relationship shown on the series after her divorce from Jason Hoppy.
