Taylor Armstrong and Russell Armstrong attend a Vanity Fair event on November 9, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California.
Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, was found dead Monday night.
Authorities say the 47-year-old venture capitalist was found hanging in a bedroom in a Mulholland Drive mansion at 8:16 p.m. Monday. The coroner’s office said there was no suicide note, but it “does appear to be a suicide by hanging,” Los Angeles Police spokesman Richard French told CNN.
The home Russell Armstrong was in belonged to a friend of his, according to TMZ. He had allegedly been staying there in the wake of his impending divorce with Real Housewives star Taylor Armstrong.
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Taylor, 40, filed for divorce from Russell on July 15. Since the proceedings began, Russell has faced a slew of allegations of abuse during their nearly six-year marriage. The housewife claimed he shoved her and pulled her hair during a number of rage-filled arguments. Russell fought back, claiming many of the accusations were blown out of proportion, and he blamed their issues on the show. This show has literally pushed us to the limit,” he told People.
“I felt like I was dying inside,” Taylor told People in July. But once she began the divorce process, she said, “Now, there’s some sense of peace.” The couple has a 5-year-old daughter, Kennedy, and were committed to co-parenting her.
Russell Armstrong was featured on the first season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which ended January 20. The show is set to return to Bravo for season two on September 5, but it’s unclear if Russell would have been a part of it.
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Russell Armstrong was no stranger to money problems, filing for bankruptcy in 2005 after his dot-com era profits went bust. After his body was found, his lawyer told TMZ that he was once again saddled in debt and “bummed out” over his divorce with Taylor.
The other housewives took to Twitter to offer their condolences to the Armstrongs. A heartfelt (but now-deleted) tweet from Beverly Hills co-star Adrienne Maloof read: “My heart goes out to @TaylorArmstrong and Kennedy during this devastating time. You will be in my thoughts and in prayers.” New Jersey housewife Caroline Manzo also offered comforting words: “So sorry 2 hear about Russell Armstrong’s death. I hope @taylorarmstrong’s privacy is respected during this difficult time.”
Nick Carbone is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @nickcarbone. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.