[UPDATE: Aug. 10, 5:04 p.m. ET – The medical examiner’s office is investigating the death of a man believed to be Dennis Shields, found at the Trump Tower. The investigation is ongoing, and the NYC Chief Medical Examiner’s Officer will release cause and manner of death when completed.]
Dennis Shields, Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel‘s on-again off-again boyfriend, was found dead Friday morning at Trump Tower in New York City, according to Page Six.
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According to NYPD, Shields was pronounced dead on the scene. Page Six, which was first to report the death, reports that Shields died of a suspected overdose, although the medical examiner has not yet determined an official cause of death.
Shields had reportedly asked his assistant to administer Narcan around 9 a.m., believing that he was overdosing on prescription pills, according to Page Six. Narcan is an emergency medication administered to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
The publication reports that he lost consciousness despite the Narcan and was pronounced dead a short time later.
It’s unclear if Frankel and Shields were together at the time of his death. They were seen together in February on a vacation to Miami.
Frankel and Shields first began dating in 2016, after having known each other for 30 years. The reality TV star recently told talk show host Steve Harvey that their relationship was complicated.
“I’ve been with someone on and off for years,” she said in May, according to 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.”
The Skinnygirl founder continued, “If both people aren’t happy about it but slightly uncomfortable and giving up something or giving in [to] something, it doesn’t work. So both partners have to say, ‘All right, I’m in it for this.’”
“And I think we might be at that point, believe it or not,” she added. “I haven’t said that to anyone yet.”
A source told PEOPLE in February that although the two weren’t together at the time, Frankel still viewed Shields as an important part of her life.
“Bethenny and her daughter Bryn love Dennis and his family,” the source said. “They have been a support system during her negative divorce and a positive influence in Bryn’s life.”
“They had a 27-year friendship before they dated, so they picked that up where they left off once they realized they didn’t work as a couple,” the source added. “Her daughter adores him and his family, and she comes first above all.”
