Not there for a spectacle. Bethenny Frankel kept a “low profile” while attending on-again-off-again boyfriend Dennis Shields’ funeral on Monday, August 13, a source tells Us Weekly.
Shields was laid to rest in Long Island, New York, on Monday morning just four days after Us Weekly confirmed that he was found dead in his room at Trump Tower in New York City at the age of 51. Though the official cause of death has not yet been revealed, the TMZ reports that he died of a suspected overdose from prescription pills.
In photos posted by the Daily Mail, the reality star could be seen crying as she wiped tears from her eyes while at the burial service.
The 47-year-old Real Housewives of New York star broke her silence on the tragedy in an emotional Instagram post following the burial. “Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever,” she wrote alongside a sweet photo of Shields laying in bed with her beloved dog, Cookie, who died in October 2017.
The reality star and businessman met more than 30 years ago but it wasn’t until 2016 that the two gave romance a chance. The former couple started their on-and-off relationship following Frankel’s divorce from Jason Hoppy. (Frankel and Hoppy share 8-year-old daughter Bryn.)
Shields spoke candidly about Frankel just five days before his death. “She’s great. She’s a great mother. She’s a great person,” he gushed during an interview on the Listen Up Show With Mitchell Chadrow on August 5. “She’s really, really smart. She is terrific in every way.”
He added: “I’ve known Bethenny a very, very long time. I met her when we were both still in college, and my ex-wife [Jill Schwartzberg] and her were friends in high school. We remained friends the whole time that I was married — nothing but friends. And then right after Jill and I got separated, Bethenny and I started dating and we’ve been together on and off now for I think it was almost four years. That’s what she told me … but we do break up a lot.”
