"Real Housewives" Russell Armstrong Commits Suicide

[Silkprint]

I have never seen any of these shows .
I think that's what happens when you live with all guys and get stuck watching UFO stuff and sports .
I feel so bad for his kids .
RIP

 

[i.b.nora]

I have seen the attorney on a bunch of shows now, looks like he is enjoying the limelight and I have found he is no stranger to any of it.

Apparently, in the Bravo show, Million Dollar Listing, in the 3rd seaon, Episode 2, Chad Rogers, the really odd guy with the Beatles haircut and the little rat dog, the guy who works for Hilton & Hyland real estate moguls, well, Chad lists two condos in Sierra Towers for high powered attorney, Ronald Richards.

"Chad lists Ronald Richards' exclusive Sierra Towers condos: a one-bedroom, 1,800 sq. ft condo with City views to the south for $2.3 million; and Ronald Richards' two-bedroom, 2,300 sq. ft condo with views of the Hollywood Hills to the north for $3.8 million." From here

Now, I had already found that when tonight, coincidentally, on Dr Drew, attorney Richards mentioned how evil the reality shows are and how the 'players' have to spend their own money on the luncheons and various events. He told about a friend of his who appeared on the Million Dollar Listing show and had to spend all his own money when throwing parties, or when in this case, catering real estate showings. Boo hoo! Richards said his friend had to leave the show because he was going broke. So, I looked it all up again, and the only one who has left the show was Chad Rogers, who actually made about 80 million dollars this past year in his real estate endeavors.

So, Ronald Richards is intimately familiar with the world of reality TV because he himself has participated in it. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't the conduit to get Russell Armstrong and Taylor involved in it.

Now, another item I followed up on today, was to learn a little about a guy named William Ratner, who was quoted as being a friend of Russell's. He said " 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' I think, was [Russell's] downfall. The TV show put a lot of pressure on him to produce financially. You're on a show with a couple like the Maloofs, who are verifiable billionaires, and you're not," said friend William Ratner, referring to "Housewives" personality Adrienne Maloof, whose family owns the Sacramento Kings and their home arena as well as Las Vegas' Palms casino resort. From here

So, okay, thats cool, Russell had a friend. Ratner is described as a Los Angeles restaurant investor, who said he last saw Armstrong in June and that Russell already knew a divorce was coming. Well, it turns out that that friend, Ratner is a public figure himself who claims to be a multimillionaire, who was on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker. Mostly he goes by Will Ratner.

http://www.bravotv.com/the-millionaire-matchmaker/season-3/ayinde-and-will

Millionaire Matchmaker
Season 3
Ayinde and Will
Patti tries to help a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe and an arrogant cheater!
PREMIERE: Tuesday March 23, 2010

"Next up is Will Ratner, a $40 million trust fund baby from Los Angeles. He’s a good looking guy, but the minute he opens his mouth, it’s over. He’s arrogant, selfish, and worst of all, he’s cheated on several girlfriends! If there’s one thing Patti can’t stand, it’s a cheater. Patti meets Will in person and is floored by how self-centered he can be. Will defends his cheating past, but lets Patti know he’s ready to change and settle down with one woman. He shocks Patti by telling her he’s willing to sacrifice having a girl with looks, for one with goals and aspirations. After a stern lecture on manners and putting women first, Patti leaves, still not fully convinced that "the rat" is ready to change his ways."

I remember that I did see the episode but I have no memory of this guy at all. Comments I saw on viewer sites were not complimentary about him, for whatever its worth. But, he wasn't just a casual friend of Russell's he was also a Bravo TV Show player. But he is/was really rich.

But, what's really interesting to me is that in addition to the restaurants Will claims to be part owner of, he also has a sports management company, and he has a company called RA Capital Management (see the RA ?) It just so happens that RA Capital Management shares an office address with Crescent Financial Partners, Inc (Russell Armstrong's company). So, were they also business partners? And, if so, why not just say it?

In the meantime, the survivors and loved ones squabble about where and how to bury the dude and who to sue afterwards.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

The talking heads, attorneys, friends etc that are blaming the show need to get over it.

Nobody is FORCED to do a RHW show.

 

[JenniferTx]

JenniferTx, so sorry to hear of your past experience. This recent death must really hit home for you. I can't imagine your pain.

I wonder if this experience will pull the ladies on the show together. I can't imagine squabbling over dinner plans and other trivial matters after something so earth shattering happens.

I have had years to heal but the guilt I feel is still there and I know Taylor will feel that same guilt because she was the one wanting to get divorced.
I think the ladies are going to get alot closer now after this has happened. I know that some of my friends that I hadn't seen in years came to my side and I will forever be glad for that. Things that I used to get upset over don't even matter anymore because I have seen life flash infront of my eyes finding his body. I can't really explain the experience or the horror of it all other than to say that it's like everything around you is moving in slow motion. Something that happens in a second feels like it takes an hour. Within 2 days after finding my husband hanging I had a large patch of my hair that turned white. I never thought that really happened in real life.....only in the movies....until I woke up with my new patch of hair color. Your entire body system changes when you experience a shock like that. I just can't imagine Taylor having to explain to Kennedy what happened to her Dad. I feel so bad for them both. I read where Russells ex wife is already blaming Taylor for his suicide which I think is wrong for her to do. No one can blame Taylor for wanting to divorce a man that was abusive towards her. I don't care if she is or was a gold digger or not. No one should be forced to be in an abusive relationship. Sorry to be rambling on but this event is going to change Taylor forever. I just hope she doesn't crumble with the guilt and do herself in also.

 

[kljohnson0458]

Since Taylor was the one who found him the rest of her days will be haunted by the image she saw. I know I can still close my eyes and relive the day I found my husband hanging in our closet. I feel for her and never thought in a million years I would have anything in common with Taylor. Talk about strange since Russell killed himself the same way my first husband did after learning I was going to file for divorce. Divorce would have been a simpler solution instead of suicide. I feel really bad for Taylor and know she will forever be a different person because of this tragic event.

So very sorry JenniferTX for the pain you suffered and still do.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

http://www.tmz.com/

Russell Armstrong
Dead for More than 24 Hours
Before Body was Found

Authorities believe Russell Armstrong was dead for more than 24 hours before his body was discovered ... TMZ has learned.


ALSO:

Taylor Armstrong
Battling In-Laws Over
Russell's FINAL Resting Place

Multiple sources close to Taylor tell us the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star is not only planning a memorial for Russell -- she also wants him to be buried at a Los Angeles area cemetery.

But Russell's attorney Ron Richards says his former client's parents want their son's body returned to Texas -- where they live -- for cremation.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

http://www.tmz.com/page/2/

Russell Armstrong
Asked for Xanax Before Death

We're told Armstrong called McCullough 3 days before his death, asking for a "full bottle" of Xanax -- but McCullough suspected something was seriously wrong ... and refused out of fear Armstrong might abuse the pills.

 

[Hopeful One]

The talking heads, attorneys, friends etc that are blaming the show need to get over it.

Nobody is FORCED to do a RHW show.

Exactly. No one is to blame for Russell's suicide but Russell himself. No one forced a rope around his neck (that we know of, obviously). He did this.

This is another case of people pointing fingers and trying to place blame everywhere except where it belongs. It's sad that he committed suicide but HE committed suicide. Not Bravo. Not Taylor.

I cannot STAND it when people try blaming everyone else. I understand anger and sadness and the need to take that anger out on someone. But get a punching a bag.

 

[JenniferTx]

So very sorry JenniferTX for the pain you suffered and still do.

There are so many emotions a person feels when they are shocked that someone has taken their own life. I was very mad at him for killing himself and taking the easy way out and leaving me behind to take care of everything but he just wasn't strong enough to deal with life anymore and I have accepted that fact. I'm just really glad he didn't kill me first and then hang himself. He always threatened me that I would never live without him if I tried to leave him. I really don't know why he didn't kill me that night before. I would have never seen it coming just like I never in a million years thought he would be the type of person to kill himself. Suicide sucks! If anyone who reads this is ever thinking about suicide think about the people you will be leaving behind before you act.

 

[DollyPardonMe]

Since Taylor was the one who found him the rest of her days will be haunted by the image she saw. I know I can still close my eyes and relive the day I found my husband hanging in our closet. I feel for her and never thought in a million years I would have anything in common with Taylor. Talk about strange since Russell killed himself the same way my first husband did after learning I was going to file for divorce. Divorce would have been a simpler solution instead of suicide. I feel really bad for Taylor and know she will forever be a different person because of this tragic event.

JenniferTX, I am so sorry you had to go thru the heartbreak of finding your husband hanging in a closet. Suicide affects generations to follow. My grandfather shot himself and there are so many times I think that would be the answer but I remember what my therapist told me one time..Death affects the living. Tragedy has a way of lingering. I hope you have healed and your days are brighter...(((Hugs)))

 

[JenniferTx]

JenniferTX, I am so sorry you had to go thru the heartbreak of finding your husband hanging in a closet. Suicide affects generations to follow. My grandfather shot himself and there are so many times I think that would be the answer but I remember what my therapist told me one time..Death affects the living. Tragedy has a way of lingering. I hope you have healed and your days are brighter...(((Hugs)))

My days are brighter after finally coming to grips with the fact that I didn't make him hang himself. That was his actions and not mine. There are some people that still tell me to this day that God took him from this earth so I wouldn't have to put up with his abuse anymore. It was kinda strange being scared of him all the time because he told me if I ever tried to leave him he would kill my parents and grandparents. I can't believe I let someone as mean as he was torture me the way he did but I didn't want my family killed. I should have called his bluff years ago and went to the police and had him locked up but I didn't. I blame myself for never seeing his suicide coming. He was abused (choked) by his father when he was younger and thought that was the way you could treat your wife. His entire family was abused by his father and his mother did nothing about it. I think she was afraid of him. You would never have guessed his dad was like that because he acted normal in public but at home he was a different person. I found out after the suicide that his grandfather had abused his father the same way. Guess it just goes down the family tree and they acted like it was normal. I should have ran like hell when I found that out but I didn't. I was 26, young and very stupid.

 

[JenniferTx]

JenniferTX, I am so sorry you had to go thru the heartbreak of finding your husband hanging in a closet. Suicide affects generations to follow. My grandfather shot himself and there are so many times I think that would be the answer but I remember what my therapist told me one time..Death affects the living. Tragedy has a way of lingering. I hope you have healed and your days are brighter...(((Hugs)))

Your grandfather shooting himself is very sad indeed. Please don't ever think that suicide is the answer because it hurts the ones left behind way too much. It has been over 16 years and I still can remember everything so clearly. Suicide just stinks and doesn't solve anything at all.

 

[i.b.nora]

My days are brighter after finally coming to grips with the fact that I didn't make him hang himself. That was his actions and not mine. There are some people that still tell me to this day that God took him from this earth so I wouldn't have to put up with his abuse anymore. It was kinda strange being scared of him all the time because he told me if I ever tried to leave him he would kill my parents and grandparents. ...snipped

Its not that I am responding to this exact post of yours, but this and several others.

I saw in one of the articles about Russell, that Taylor did not find him, and did not see him. And, I think it is important to note that detail.

"Reality TV star Taylor Armstrong was on the scene when friends discovered her estranged husband's body, but she didn't go inside to see it.

The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" personality would have needed to climb through a bedroom window to see Russell Armstrong hanging inside, a pal said.

"She never saw his body. She didn't want to," said Francisco Martin."

From here

So, while there is no doubt that the whole thing was and is upsetting to her, at least she didn't actually see the scene.

Also, your last couple of posts, prompt me to post this new article/commentary, which suggests that the TV show might actually have saved Taylor's life.

Did Reality TV save Taylor Armstrong?

snip

... "But I also find it disturbing that so much media commentary focuses on the aberration of Armstrong's behavior becoming so public. What about his behavior? Is the tragedy here that Russell's violent past, his "marital strains," became known? Or is it that Russell couldn't or wouldn't get help the help he needed to treat his sickness?

Violence against women is epidemic but way too invisible. Most survivors are so mired in shame, they don't talk about the abuse to their friends, family, or the media."

 

[i.b.nora]

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that 'sources' are saying that: "The network will push the Sept. 5 premiere at least one week and possibly longer following the apparent suicide of Russell Armstrong, according to a source close to the show."

You can read the full artilcle here:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/source-bravo-will-delay-premiere-225041

But to me, the most interesting tidbit in the article that I had not seen before is:

"It has become increasingly clear that Russell Armstrong was unhappy with his portrayal on the show. Reports have surfaced that production was briefly suspended earlier this summer after he threatened to sue cast members who disparaged him on camera. Taylor Armstrong said that he verbally and physically abused her, and while reality show contracts generally grant tremendous leeway vis-a-vis defamation, the specter of legal action may have been enough to put a chilling effect on other characters' interaction with Taylor Armstrong."

All gossipy of course but, we shall hopefully find out eventually.

 

[legalmania]

Russell was really possessive, he didn't like Taylor out with the girls. I know he hit her and now that he's dead, I know she feels bad, but I have no respect for anyone who commits domestic violence.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/17/taylo...eal-housewives-of-beverly-hills/#.Tk3PlV2P-0I

 

[SeaNymph]

All of the RHo series are my guilty pleasure too - Bravo for that matter!

I always got a sketchy feel for both of them, but I have to honestly say Taylor was the one I would be less apt to trust with a knife behind my back for more than 1 second flat. She was conniving, deceitful and always stirring and then dashing out the kitchen. I agree, I have always felt there was tremendous selfishness in many who commit suicide, especially with children left behind to try to figure that out for the rest of their lives - what answer could possibly ever overcome "Wasnt I enough?" in a child-to-adult mind even? Can't imagine one. I feel the same here, not making excuses - RA alone did this and should have found another way to deal with this for the sake of his children, their sanity for the rest of their lives. This is where I get a little torn though and I hope no one throws stones at me - I'm not blaming Taylor, but I certainly dont think (from what I saw on the show) she did a lot to help relieve some of the pressures he may have felt he was under. I read her as a major social climber and could only imagine this was a woman that 'nothing would ever be enough', when it came to material things, the bigger house, better car, Birkin bags, 50K kids birthday parties ...Keeping up with the Maloofs seemed to be her mission in life, be damned everything else! Early in the series I distinctly remember hearing her 'connection' to joining the cast was her friendship with Adrienne Maloof; that they had met while their children were in preschool together...Well, Kennedy is 5 now, so how many years friendship could that be, 2-3 at the most, assuming she started 'preschool' as early as 2? Ok, good enough -- the REAL shocker for me came when in an episode or two later she says Adrienne is Kennedy's godmother! (Keep in mind these episodes I am speaking of were filmed 1 - 1 1/2 years ago too!) Is it just me or does that reek of 'leech' to anyone else?

Again, please, especially for those touched by suicide, I hope I dont sound insensitive, but for this situation, one we were cordially invited to witness, Taylor seemed pretty high maintenance and that coupled with all his other demons/financial pressures, could not have helped the situation. It's an example where greed and yearning for fame can so blind someone - its really unfathomable to think I could ever be so concerned with material things and driving my husband for more - more - more that I could not see him slipping away right in front of me. Sounds like their entire lives were just in a pressure cooker.

Ok, so I'll just be :couch:

 

[i.b.nora]

I have had this 'feeling' shall we say, that the attorney whose client killed himself, has been changing, adjusting, and flat out lying in some cases about his dead client's situation.

The only thing I can think of is that he is trying to position himself with the surviving family (not including the wife) to represent them in sueing the pants off of Bravo.

And, I am now thoroughly convinced that he will say anything. Such as in appearances and reporting today, he has his dead client (and the wife) as having been flat broke. Not a penny to their name, even though they were renting a $9,000 a month house in a not so bad neighborhood, he would have you believe they were living in a squalor ridden area of say, East Los Angeles. Google it! Look up rentals in the Bel Air Crest area of Los Angeles.

So, what has convinced me of what I have felt all along, is that Francisco Martin was on the Joy Behar Show tonight. He was with Taylor when they went to the house and found the hanging body. Among other things the host asked him about the state of the finances, since he was (or is currently) a business partner with a new venture. He got plug in for it a few times, its called beautyticket.com, and I haven't checked it out yet, but Taylor is part of it, and he went on and on about how much backing Russell had secured for it, so he said, that stories that they were flat out broke are just not true.

Now, of course his interest is that customers (and investors) will see this new venture as a viable potentially growing company, whose revenues will know no bounds. And, he plans to continue the venture with Taylor as far as I could tell.

But, his stories are more believable to me than those of the attorney. I saw the $50,000 birthday party for the little kid with my own eyes. I thought at the time it was totally obnoxious, off the charts, just really pathetic. Bravo did not force them to spend that kind of money. Even Kyle's party for her little kid was a mere $6,000, which in my neighborhood is excessive. But not so gross, and in your face. Good god that was just miserable.

 

[pinkfly]

This is very sad.

 

[AuburnSchnauzer]

Dang, Mark Levin used to watch this show and said today on his radio show that he willl NEVER watch another one of these shows. Bravo, Mark Levin!

MarkLevinShow.com

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

i.b.nora or anyone else,

So if Francisco Martin and Taylor went to the house and then Francisco found the body (Taylor was outside, if I understand correctly)...

What prompted them to go to the house? Or, if FM was the roomie, why was Taylor with him and going to the house at that time? if they thought something was suspicious or caused them concern, what was it?

Just wondering if anyone has heard that part?