Russell Armstrong, the 47-year-old estranged husband of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, was found dead from an apparent suicide on Monday night.
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Armstrong's body was reportedly found hanging in the Los Angeles home of a friend and he was pronounced dead by paramedics at 8:16PM.
"There was no suicide note found," Los Angeles Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter told People. "An autopsy and toxicology test are pending."
Taylor -- whose unhappiness about her marriage had been chronicled on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' first season last year -- had filed divorce from her husband in July.
Shortly afterward, the 40-year-old had publicly alleged Russell had verbally and physically abused during their marriage, which had lasted nearly six years.
"I felt like I was dying inside," she told People in an interview published late last month. "Now, there's some sense of peace."
According to Taylor, Russell, a venture capitalist, frequently swore and called her names during arguments which sometimes includes physical violence in which he threw objects and shoved and grabbed her while also pulling her hair.
Russell had denied pulling Taylor's hair but acknowledged pushing her during heated moments he claimed resulted from his wife's The Real Housewives participation.
"Did I push her? Yes, maybe things happened in the heat of the moment, but it was during a time in our lives that was not characteristic of who we were. This show has literally pushed us to the limit," he told People.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' second season had been previously scheduled to premiere September 5 on Bravo and include Taylor struggling with her loveless marriage and leaning on new The Real Housewives cast member Dana Wilkey for support.
Bravo has not disclosed whether it plans to delay or re-edit the season in light of Russell's death.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
