Whitney Rose Discussed the Tragic Loss of Her Friend, Shari Quai, on ‘RHOSLC

The Gist:

• Whitney Rose’s friend of over 20 years, Shari Rae Quai, died after “a long battle with cancer” at age 41.
• Whitney discovered her friend had been intubated and passed away while filming The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
• Whitney Rose and Lisa Barlow had an argument on RHOSLC Season 4 soon after Whitney found out about Shari’s death.

Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City proved challenging for one of its stars, Whitney Rose. During the season, the wife, mother, and entrepreneur faced a tragedy involving one of her close friends, Shari Rae Quai.

Shari had a few appearances on RHOSLC, and her death came up on the show. Here’s what happened to Whitney’s friend and how she honored her legacy on her reality TV platform.

Fans may recall seeing Whitney’s friend, Shari, in a 2020 episode of RHOSLC. In a Season 1 episode, Shari attended Whitney and Justin’s vow renewal and Whitney’s 1920s-themed party that same season. During Season 4, Ep.12, “Icy Apologies,” Whitney shared in a scene that Shari, her friend from age 23, had been intubated following a battle with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.

Shari, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, sadly died at the age of 41 on April 26, 2023. Her obituary states she kept “her spirit of celebration every day of her life and left an indelible mark” amid her cancer diagnosis. The obituary also said Shari is joined in death by her daughter, Eve Rose, who passed away in 2017 of unknown causes.

On April 27, Whitney posted several Instagram photos and videos of her and Shari to honor her friend’s legacy. In addition to praising her friend’s dedication to her family — her husband, Josh, and living children Lily, Vienna, and McCade — Whitney expressed the grief of losing her close friend of over 20 years.

“I write this with tears in my eyes not only because I will miss you deeply, Shari, but because you added so much beauty and love to my life,” Whitney wrote of her friend under a slideshow of their moments together. “It is so rare to find a friend like you, and I am forever blessed that I did. I love you, my soul sister, in this life and beyond. I love you.”

Whitney discovered the news of her friend, Shari’s death while filming Season 4 of RHOSLC. After sharing with her husband that Shari had been intubated, she revealed on the show that both she and Shari knew her life was ending.

“I was with her on Monday, and she couldn’t even get off the couch,” Whitney recalled on RHOSLC. “I’m worried. I think we’re losing her. When I sat with her, that’s what we talked about – how she knows death is here.”

In another scene from the Season 4 episode, Whitney attends Meredith Marks’s launch party for her business, Plated by Meredith Marks. However, she had learned of Shari’s death shortly before the event. When she arrived at the event, Whitney noticed Lisa, who she thought was her close friend, hadn’t mentioned anything about the loss of her friend.

After noticing Lisa got Heather Gay a gift and not her, Whitney confronted Lisa at Meredith’s event. During the confrontation, Lisa admitted she didn’t know how Whitney grieved and didn’t know how to help her with losing her friend. Whitney felt the excuse wasn’t good enough, especially after she went to great lengths to ensure Lisa had supported her in the past.

"It hurt my feelings because I reached out to you," Whitney told Lisa.

Although Lisa profusely apologized to Whitney about Shari’s loss, the fight caused a “hot mic” moment from Lisa, as she was heard saying, "F--k this,” after walking away from the conversation.

Catch new episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Bravo on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST.