Kyle Richards Opens Up on the Loss of Her "Other Half," Lorene Shea
RHOBH's Kyle Richards discussed the loss of her childhood best friend with castmate Sutton Stracke in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day.
If you or someone you know needs help for a mental health concern, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If it is an emergency, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or call 911.
Kyle Richards is reflecting on the loss of her best friend, Lorene Shea.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member's longtime friend died by suicide in 2022, so in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, Kyle got together with Sutton Stracke — a fellow ambassador of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — to discuss both Lorene's death and Sutton's father's passing.
"Lorene was my very best friend, since we were seven years old, so she was like my other half. She knew more about me and my life and the ins and outs of my life than anyone in my life..." Kyle explained over an Instagram Live with Sutton. "Lorene knew everything, and she was very, very together. She was in my will, she was in charge of my money. You know, if something happened to me, she was in charge of my kids — that's how together she was."
Kyle went on to say that before Lorene died, "something shifted and changed in her."
"Even she didn't understand it, and it was very strange, you know, to see this person who was just so together — she was a soccer mom and on it — to all of a sudden just shift. Trying to figure out what it was, at first, it was like, 'Maybe it's your hormones...' She had never had anxiety, ever [and] she said to me, 'I feel so bad, all your life I've teased you about your anxiety, now I have it. I don't know why I have this now,'" Kyle continued. "And then it kind of just went downhill from there, progressively getting worse."
"You feel so helpless," Kyle added, "because even if you're trying to do all the right things, it's really frustrating."
Kyle ultimately lost her best friend on May 1, 2022. Later, she spoke about Lorene's impact on Season 13 of RHOBH.
Kyle Richards pays tribute to Lorene Shea on RHOBH Season 13
"Lorene was my other half," Kyle said on Season 13, Episode 8. "We always said we were separated at birth — only she was six feet tall and blonde."
She shared that the two met on the first day of second grade, and they became fast friends. The rest was history.
A few episodes later, Kyle teamed up with NAMI to host a Celebration of Life event for Lorene. The event coincided with the one year anniversary of Lorene's death.
"Suicide is such a difficult topic because no one wants to talk about it, and I want people to know who are struggling that there're resources that they can reach out to, and I can guarantee you every single person in this room has struggled [themselves] or known someone that has struggled or lost a loved one," Kyle said in a speech at the event, which happened on Season 13, Episode 11.
Sutton Stracke opens up about the death of her father, John Brown
Sutton has also openly discussed her father's suicide both publicly and on RHOBH. Her dad, John Brown, died in December of 2001.
"December 23, my father decided at noon, actually on the dot, to take his own life..." Sutton said during her Instagram Live stream with Kyle about how her father passed away in their family's backyard "two days before Christmas."
"I lived down the street, so it was one of those moments where you don't think it's ever going to happen to you, and I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that. You don't ever expect a member of your family or a friend or anyone close to you to commit suicide," she continued. "It'll be 23 years in December."
Sutton went on to say that it was tough for her family to process the loss of her father.
"I think as a family, we didn't quite know how to deal with our grief. It's Christmastime, so you're supposed to be happy and celebrating, and this tragic thing happens," she said. "My father was the stability in our family. We relied on him for everything and trusted him and loved him, and we didn't quite know what to do without him. So, I think for a long time we didn't deal with this. I did not deal with it."
On RHOBH Season 13, Sutton said that her dad would be proud of how far she and her three kids, Porter, Philip, and James have come.
"He'd be really... No, I also learned this. He is really proud of my children," she said on Season 13, Episode 11. "He is really proud of me because he's still with us."
