“Real Housewives” Star Taylor Armstrong’s Ex-Husband Commits Suicide

According to Los Angeles’s coroner office, Russell Armstrong, the former husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” actress Taylor Armstrong was found dead at the age of 47.

Russell, a venture capitalist by profession, was married to Taylor for six years before she filed for divorce from him last month. On several occasions in “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” the turbulence of their relationship was portrayed. She had also told PEOPLE that she used to suffer domestic abuse at the hands of Russell, while she laid the blame of their troubles on the show.

“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,” she said.

Suicide as Russell’s cause of death was first reported by celebrity blog TMZ, but it has not been officially confirmed by the authorities. His body was found on Monday at his Mulholland Drive residence, but no suicide note was recovered from the scene.

According to TMZ, the former couple was also the prime subject of a lawsuit that was filed to recover $1.5 million from them. Russell was the chief executive officer of NuWay Digital Systems, Inc., a company that had a non-controlling stake in MyMedicalRecords.com. He allegedly sold NDS shares worth more than $1 million by misleading the buyers into believing that the shares are of MMR.

He then used the money to finance the purchase of a restaurant with “Desperate Housewives” actress Eva Longoria. TMZ reported that Russell reached a settlement with MMR but then broke the terms of their agreement, which led to the filing of the $1.5 million lawsuit.

Source: [TMZ, Reuters]

Image Source: [zimbio.com]