Last week, Bethenny Frankel’s ex-boyfriend Dennis Shields was found dead of an apparent overdose.
The Skinnygirl founder and The Real Housewives of New York City star has not made an official statement yet.
But an insider describes how she’s responding to the sudden passing of her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
A source tells E! that Bethenny Frankel is not taking this well.
“This is really bad,” the insider admits. No death is good, but this one was especially sudden and therefore so much more shocking.
Bethenny’s is taking it hard, the source reveals, saying: “It’s dreadful.”
“She’s known him for over 20 years,” the insider reminds the world. That’s a lot of time and affection.
The source explains: “She’s heartbroken.”
As we told you last week when this crushing news broke, 51-year-old Shields was found dead by police in his Trump Tower apartment on Friday.
Law enforcement tried to revive him, but paramedics declared him dead.
The cause of his death, officially, remains under investigation.
However, it has been reported that Shields suffered from an apparent overdose.
In fact, it is said that his assistant administered Narcan but was unable to revive him.
Jill Schwartzberg Shields, Dennis Shields’ estranged wife, has made an official statement about his passing.
“Dennis’ family is devastated by this terrible news,” Jill says.
“He was a loving father,” Jill’s statement continues. “And friend.”
Jill makes a request: “We ask that the media respect our privacy during this time of loss.”
Of course. Estranged or not, this is a very trying time for everyone in his life.
Though Bethenny Frankel has yet to make an official public statement, some of her costars and erstwhile friends have come forward.
Taking to Twitter, Carole Radziwille mourned Dennis Shields‘ passing.
“I just heard the sad news about Dennis,” Carole wrote on social media.
It’s crushing news, even for those who were never a direct part of his life.
“He was a good man,” Carole affirms.
“My condolences to all his family and friends,” Carole continues. “So tragic.”
Though Carole and Bethenny are no longer friends, they were once close, so it only makes sense that Carole knew Shields well enough to grieve over his death.
Bethenny Frankel will probably make an official public statement in time, but it is more than understandable that she is taking time to grieve in private.
Just because someone is a public personality does not mean that they owe their fans to expose every piece of their raw feelings at any given moment.
When she is ready, she will put together the words and mourn his loss.
For now, she is experiencing a lot of unpleasant raw emotions and she has every right to sort through that in peace.
We wish his friends, family, and other loved ones the best as they deal with this senseless tragedy.
It is our hope that they can find peace and, eventually, closure. Sometimes, that’s the best thing that you can possibly wish for people who are mourning the loss of someone they care about.
