The design community is mourning a celebrated member.
Brooke Gomez, an interior designer who previously worked with Bethenny Frankel, has died. She was 49.
"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 Nov. 22 read. "A gathering of friends to celebrate her life is being planned. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date."
Officials confirmed to E! News that authorities responded to a call at a residence in the Manhattan neighborhood. "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 E! News, adding that despite trying to revive her, she "was pronounced deceased."
At this time, there is no foul play suggested and the medical examiner's office is currently working to determine Brooke's cause of death.
Over the years, Brooke worked with Bethenny Frankel on several design projects, appearing on the second season of Bethenny's Real Housewives spinoff series Bethenny Ever After in 2010. She later went on to design the reality star's Tribeca loft.
Before launching her own firm in 2019, the decorator worked alongside her mom and fellow interior designer Mariette Himes Gomez at Gomez Associates.
"Someone left really suddenly, so I decided to help out in the interim," Brooke recalled to 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."
As for why the mother-daughter duo decided to go their separate ways, Brooke noted, "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 continued. "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."