Kyle Richards of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills shared the heartbreaking news that she lost her best friend, Lorene Shea, to mental illness. Kyle has been on RHOBH since season 1 and has been through many ups and downs throughout her time on the show. In 2002, Kyle lost her mother after a battle with breast cancer. Kyle eventually took over her mom’s vacation house in Palm Springs, which became a point of contention with her sister and former RHOBH star Kim Richards. Kim had accused Kyle of "stealing" the house from her, while Kyle maintained that they had agreed on her buying the house.
During Kim’s time on RHOBH, fans saw her struggle with alcoholism and her attempts to get sober. Kim left the show after season 5 but her time on RHOBH was riddled with chaos, much to Kyle’s exasperation. Kyle often felt like she had to babysit her older sister, who was frequently late to events and never picked up her phone. During a heated fight between the two sisters in RHOBH season 1, Kyle cut to the core when she said their mother had to die worrying about Kim.
Tragically, Kyle lost her childhood friend Lorene after her struggles with depression. In a touching tribute shared on Instagram, Kyle wrote, “I never imagined I would be posting something like this…this is my best friend Lorene…my best friend since I was 7 years old.” Kyle posted a series of photos of her and Lorene together, sharing happy moments throughout the years. She described Lorene as “kind, thoughtful, funny, smart, beautiful, sentimental” and shared that they did everything together, from losing their baby teeth to having babies. Kyle said that recently, Lorene had suffered from “debilitating depression” despite always being a happy person.
Kyle went on to say that Lorene’s loved ones rallied around her to get her the help she needed but the “system is broken.” The RHOBH star promised to do whatever it takes to “help change the laws that are in place that prevent people from getting the help they need.” Kyle’s oldest sister and RHOBH “friend of” Kathy Hilton shared her condolences and wrote, “I loved her very much, such a sweet happy person. I just can’t believe it.” RHOBH stars Crystal Kung Minkoff and Garcelle Beauvais also responded with notes of sympathy.
Many RHOBH fans shared their stories of loved ones they’ve also lost due to mental illness. Many agree that the system is indeed broken and there is a stigma surrounding mental illness. RHOBH star Erika Jayne has been open about needing to take antidepressants during the height of COVID-19 while everyone was quarantined. Many of Kyle’s RHOBH castmates, along with Bravo producer Andy Cohen, are rallying around Kyle during this difficult time.
Source: Kyle Richards/Instagram