“Matt was deeply loved, and his absence will be felt profoundly by all who knew him,” the 61-year-old added. “To his family, I send my deepest condolences, love, and prayers for comfort. Matt, my heart is broken. I love you—here and beyond. Until we meet again, I will carry your memory in my heart. You will be missed beyond words, my friend.”
Karen’s RHOP costars also shared insight into how she was coping with the tragic news.
“I was actually with my cast mate Wendy [Osefo] and we did call her immediately and we let her know, ‘Karen, we love you. We’re here for you,'” Mia Thornton told E! News at Bravo’s Fan Fest in Miami Nov. 23. “I texted her, ‘Sister, I love you. If you need anything, I’m here for you.’ It’s really, really hard, because we don’t check on our strong friends. Matt was such a strong friend to Karen from what I saw, an outsider looking in. Any time I saw him, he welcomed us with open arms. He was so loving. So it’s a shocker for us. But I also think that his life will help save many more. And I want to make sure his legacy lives on.”
Wendy added, “I’m just sending Matt love, I’m sending his family love. He was an integral part of Karen’s life and we are all around each other, which makes him an integral part of all of our lives. I just hope that, when people are going through things, that there’s people out there that love them.”
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)