Russell Armstrong, the vilified husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member Taylor Armstrong, was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday evening. Throughout the first season, it was clear that the investment banker and the businesswoman were not the happiest couple in the world. When Taylor announced her intent to end her six year marriage in July, no one was surprised, but no one expected him to take his life. There was no suicide note or any other clue left to give his loved ones closure.
Armstrong allegedly hung himself in his Mulholland drive home and the speculation is that he was overwhelmed by financial, legal, and personal issues. In addition to the end of his six year marriage, the Armstrong’s were also being sued by Mymedicalrecords.com for $1.5 million dollars. The company claims the Armstrong’s fraudulently diverted money from investors to finance their lavish lifestyle, including a $60k birthday party for their young daughter Kennedy. Russell was the founder and managing director of Crescent Financial Partners.
Their troubled marriage was played out almost weekly on the RHOBH series, and it seemed that Taylor was reevaluating her life by the end of last season with the help of Kyle Richards. Taylor filed for divorce July 15, after accusing Russell of mental, verbal and physical abuse. His ex-wife Barbara, and an ex-girlfriend have also accused him of being abusive, and he also pleaded guilty to a battery charge in 1997. Russell stated in an interview that he found fame overwhelming, and the unflattering portrayal of him on the show probably didn’t help.
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Last season witnessed the end of Camille Grammer’s marriage to actor and producer Kelsey Grammer, which was messy in itself. Now the death of Taylor’s husband will most likely take center stage if the producers decide to go that route. The second season begins September 5.
In a statement, Bravo said: All of us at Bravo are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Our sympathy and thoughts are with the Armstrong family at this difficult time.”
TMZ broke the sad news and is updating the site regularly with comments from people close to the situation. Russell leaves behind a five year-old daughter, a 13-year-old son, Aiden, from his first marriage to Barbara Frederickson, and an 11-year-old son, Griffin, with former fianc©e Milette Fields. There is no word on how Bravo intends to deal with this new twist.