Bethenny Frankel Breaks Silence on Dennis Shields' Death: He 'Gave Me Endless Unconditional Love'

Bethenny Frankel is speaking out about the shocking death of her on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields.

The Real Housewives of New York City star posted an Instagram of Shields cuddling with her beloved dog Cookie, who died in October at the age of 17.

“Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever,” she captioned the intimate photo.

The Bravo star was photographed looking emotional at Shields’ funeral on Long Island, New York, on Monday.

Dennis was found dead in his Trump Tower apartment on Friday. He was 51. The NYPD is investigating his death as a possible overdose.

“We are all heartbroken. Dennis was, and will always be, the love of my life,” his wife Jill Shields said in a statement to PEOPLE. “His spirit lives on in our children. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”

According to the New York Post, the banker asked his assistant to give him Narcan, an emergency medication intended to reverse the effects of a narcotic overdose, but he lost consciousness before the medication could take effect.

Frankel and Shields began dating in 2016 — three years after the Skinnygirl founder filed for divorce from ex-husband Jason Hoppy, with whom she shares 8-year-old daughter Bryn.

Much of their on-off relationship was shown on The Real Housewives of New York.

RELATED: Inside Bethenny Frankel’s ‘Very Independent’ Relationship with Late Boyfriend Dennis Shields

The duo first met about 28 years ago when he dated (and later married) Jill, one of her high school friends. Though she did not stay in touch with her classmate (“We’ve spoken three times in 25 years,” she previously told PEOPLE), Frankel and Shields shared other mutual pals and began dating several months after he separated from his wife.