Kyle Richards Remembers Late 'Best Friend' Lorene One Year After Her Passing

With a heavy heart, Kyle Richards sends heartwarming tributes to her late best friend, Lorene Shea.

After a long battle with mental health illness, the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star's childhood best pal passed away at 52 on 1st May 2022. A year after her unfortunate death, Richards remembers and honors Lorene on her social media page. To do that, the Bravolebrity uploaded an emotional message, with sweet and touching photos of the twosome sharing wholesome moments.

Richards took to her Instagram timeline to share ten-frame throwback pictures of herself and Lorene from childhood to adulthood. One snapshot, in particular, showed the dynamic duo in their teen years. They sat with their knees clutched to their chests and smiled at the camera.

Another photo showed the friends lying on what looked like a boat while wearing a bathing suit. A snap from the collection showed the TV personality and Lorene with their families, including Kyle's husband, Mauricio Umansky, on a mini boat.

The pair attended a Bravo event in one post and wore matching hats and handbags in another. The ninth image displayed the friends having a good time, where the 54-year-old was seen nibbling on her drink while rocking a shimmering long-sleeve outfit with diamond accessories consisting of stud earrings, massive rings, and bracelets.

Unlike Richards, Lorene opted for a small green strap ensemble and smiled sweetly. In the last slide, the long-time friends posed alongside a mutual friend, and they appeared happy to be in each other's presence. 

The accompanying caption also conveyed how much she loves and misses her dear friend. "One year without you & not a day goes by where I don't think of you and wish I could call you to share, to listen, to laugh ... the best friend a girl could ask for. Love and miss you so much, Lorene ❤️," Richards penned.

Without fail, many of the socialite's fans flooded the comment section to share their condolences and encourage her through her grief. One fan noted, "thinking of you & hoping you feel her angelic presence near you always... love you tremendously ??."

A second fan wrote, "Beautiful words Kyle. She's always with you. You know that ?." "I'm so sorry for your loss, Kyle, but she's always in your heart," another added. A fourth social media admirer penned, "@kylerichards18 Sending you lots of love and strength during this difficult time ❤️." 

The intimate photos and sober message highlighting the long-lasting relationship the "RHOBH" OG had with her deceased friend of more than 40 years comes a year after the California native revealed Lorene died due to her mental illness.

Per a DISTRACTIFY report, the mother of four captioned the post, "I never imagined I would be posting something like this...this is my best friend, Lorene. My best friend since I was seven years old. My other half."

The "Halloween Ends" star addressed her friend as a mother and a wife and added that the pair "spoke every day and shared everything" with each other. Richards wrote, "We would laugh until we cried, call each other out, and be there for each other no matter what was going on in our lives." 

The "Eaten Alive" actress further asserted that when her friend's "debilitating depression" began, loved ones "rallied around her and did everything that could be done to get her help." But to her knowledge, "The system made it impossible to get her the help she needed."

In addition to losing her friend, the "Halloween Kills" actress has had to deal with internet trolls who have one thing or the other to say about her physical appearance and even those who accused her of using ozempic- a diabetic drug- to lose weight. 

However, in March, The Blast noticed how a fan pushed back on comments made about Richards' body. The "Life Is Not a Reality Show: Keeping It Real with the Housewife Who Does It All" author shared a cryptic message alongside images of her slim figure in a body-hugging orange dress that showed a little boob action.

The strapless outfit had a mesh material and silver sequins around the breast region. The socialite paired the outfit with dangling silver earrings, a curly ponytail hairstyle, and silver pump sandals. As mentioned, the base of the post was filled with naysayers voicing their unasked sentiments about how she looked. Still, one noteworthy admirer came to her defense, writing,

"All of you commenting on her body..whether positive or a negative…can we just appreciate the person inside the body rather than focusing on her size?! I personally like Kyle as a human being, from watching her as a mother / wife / sister. Granted, I only know her from what I see on tv. Stop body shaming people, period!" 

The "Police Woman" star responded with gratitude and praise for the support. She wrote, "I appreciate that very much ❤️."