Another tragic death in 2018. On Aug. 10, Dennis Shields, who had been dating Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel on and off since 2016, was found dead. The New York Post reports that sources claim he requested his assistant administer Narcan for a prescription pill overdose, but help came too late. He was pronounced dead in Trump Tower around 9 a.m. EST. Dennis was 51 years old. The NYPD’s Detective Mason confirmed the tragic news to In Touch, saying, “Yes a male was found dead at Trump Tower today. A 51-year old male was found unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced deceased on the scene by the EMS.”

On Monday, Aug. 13, Bethenny took to Instagram to break her silence on Dennis’ death. She shared a photo of him cuddling with her dog Cookie, who died in October 2017. “Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever,” she captioned the post.

 

 

It was unclear where Dennis and Bethenny’s relationship stood when he died, but as recently as three hours after his reported death she didn’t seem aware of the situation and was posting photos of her dogs and kombucha on Instagram Stories.

Bethenny and Dennis’ relationship has always been complicated. In May, she revealed that they just couldn’t seem to quit each other. “I’ve been with someone on and off for years,” she told People. “It’s like a partnership where if we’re not being teammates and it’s not working and one man is down, then the other man is down. We’re trying to really kind of be good partners and be good teammates and I think relationships oddly are — and this sounds cold — but a little bit like business.” Dennis was a businessman, so this attitude toward love made sense.

 

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(Credit: Getty Images)

 

Dennis and Bethenny had more than a love of business in common. The duo actually went to high school together, where Dennis dated (and eventually married) one of Bethenny’s friends. Though Bethenny and the friend lost touch, she stayed tight with Dennis, and a spark officially ignited between them in 2016. Our hearts go out to Bethenny and Dennis’ family in this terrible time.

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