Bethenny Frankel’s interior designer, Brooke Gomez, has reportedly been found dead inside her Upper East Side apartment. She was last seen alive more than a week ago. The 49-year-old’s body was found in an advanced state of decomposition in her apartment near East 94th Street and Madison Avenue on Sunday, November 19, the Daily Mail reported.
Sources told New York Post that Bethenny’s death is not being considered suspicious.
"We are greatly saddened by the sudden passing of our friend Brooke Gomez, a light that shined brilliantly on everyone who knew her," a statement posted to the Brooke Gomez Design Instagram account reads. “A gathering of friends to celebrate her life is being planned. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.”
According to officials, authorities responded to a call at a house in the Manhattan neighbourhood, E! News reported. "When police arrived they observed a 49-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive inside of an apartment," a spokesperson for the New York City Police Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told the outlet. She "was pronounced deceased” after efforts were made to revive her.
{{/usCountry}}According to officials, authorities responded to a call at a house in the Manhattan neighbourhood, E! News reported. "When police arrived they observed a 49-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive inside of an apartment," a spokesperson for the New York City Police Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told the outlet. She "was pronounced deceased” after efforts were made to revive her.
{{/usCountry}}Bethenny worked with Brooke on multiple design projects. In 2010, she even appeared on the second season of Bethenny's Real Housewives spinoff series Bethenny Ever After. Brooke worked alongside her mom Mariette Himes Gomez, who is also an interior designer, at Gomez Associates, but later in 2019, Brooke launched her own firm.
"Someone left really suddenly, so I decided to help out in the interim," Brooke told Business of Home in 2019. "But I really just loved it. I loved the right brain/left brain contrast of creating a contract and then getting to do something creative."
Speaking about why she and her mother went their separate ways, Brooke said, “I think it was time for both of us to have the next phase of our lives."
"For her—as someone who invested all her time, energy and talent into this for 40-plus years—it was time for her to explore other interests," she added. "For me, right now it's about building my own team, finding new people that I want to work with and making this firm my own. And it's nice to know that my sweet, talented mother is always just a phone call away."