"Real Housewives" Russell Armstrong Commits Suicide

Very sad news. Suicide is never the answer.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/16/real-housewives-russell-armstrong-dead-dies-suicide-dies-hang-taylor-armstrong/

wow. Thoughts and prayers with his family. I read Taylor's story in People. Russell when interviewed admitted that he hit her but blamed it on stress from the show.

I am an avid fan of RHoBH. It has been so painfully obvious and heartbreaking to watch these two "interact". I have always felt to sorry for Taylor. I pray God gives Taylor and her daughter strength in this time of loss, hope and faith in the days ahead.

I just saw this on my Google news page, and my jaw hit the floor. OMG.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (along with RH of New Jersey & RH of New York) are my 'guilty pleasures'. I secretly love all three of these shows, and rarely miss an episode.

I am really surprised by this.

Smartblonde, I love them all too. I do think the shows tend to create monsters though. Maybe not the shows themselves but the fact that these women see themselves on TV. Then the next season, most of them are thinner and have had plastic surgery of some sort. You have to be a pretty strong person to put yourself in the media like that.

I think this is so sad, mainly for his poor daughter. I hope she does okay.

Oh MY Gosh!!!!

Horrible.

I'm a huge fan of all of the RHW series.

I keep thinking of his young daughter.

Hopeful One said:

Smartblonde, I love them all too. I do think the shows tend to create monsters though. Maybe not the shows themselves but the fact that these women see themselves on TV. Then the next season, most of them are thinner and have had plastic surgery of some sort. You have to be a pretty strong person to put yourself in the media like that.

I think this is so sad, mainly for his poor daughter. I hope she does okay.

Click to expand...

I agree. I just read that their little girl is only five years old. I guess that's what I don't understand, is how could you leave a child that young behind, purposefully?

This may sound terrible, but generally I don't subscribe to thinking of people who commit suicide 'as taking the cowards way out', etc. Sometimes, enough is just enough. Yes, I do understand the whole "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem', but sometimes... I don't know.

I understand that, generally, and unless someone is suffering from a terminal illness, a person will commit suicide because they are emotionally tormented- and they have my sympathies.

Adults should be able to make their own decisions of whether to 'stay or go'. Unless they have a child. What message does that send to this little girl? I worry that as she grows up, she will believe that her daddy didn't think she was worth sticking around for. Even though she is worth more than all the gold in the world. If you are going to have a child, you need to see that commitment through.

This man was only 47 years old. He was under a lot of stress, undoubtedly, with his wife just filing for divorce last month, the accusations that he abused her flying all over the media (which I think he admitted to), a million-dollar-plus lawsuit looming.

This is really too bad. My dad used to say, "No matter what, never give up hope. You never know what miracles tomorrow may bring". I guess suicide in adults is what happens when you can't even find some hope?

I've had two friends commit suicide. Both were men, both happened just over ten years ago. I know suicide is always the hardest on those left behind. Guilt, confusion, regret. Anger. I've never really been able to think 'clearly' about suicide since, I guess.

My thoughts and prayers go out to this little girl. It's so sad that she'll never be able to quote her daddy, like I just quoted mine above, because she will never get to really know him. Worse still, she knows he will never really get to know her.

believe09 said:

wow. Thoughts and prayers with his family. I read Taylor's story in People. Russell when interviewed admitted that he hit her but blamed it on stress from the show.

Click to expand...

I read that he denied hitting her? Pushed her, but did not strike her. I can't stand Taylor, or whatever name she uses these days. Shes a gold digger.

Feel so sorry for their little girl.

EGirl said:

I read that he denied hitting her? Pushed her, but did not strike her. I can't stand Taylor, or whatever name she uses these days. Shes a gold digger.

Feel so sorry for their little girl.

Click to expand...

Taylor is probably my least favorite on the show, too.

But now, I worry about how she will take this, and if she will blame herself? I hope not. That's too much of a burden for anyone.

~ I realize that may sound silly, as I don't even know her, but the way these shows invite you into their lives, you sure end up feeling like you 'know' them!

What a great post, smartblonde. I totally agree with you in regards to suicide.

I have struggled with depression most of my life and I do know how it feels to be completely and utterly hopeless. I've thought about suicide and when I was feeling that down, I truly believed everyone would be better off without me. It's strange what depression can do to your mind. It's almost like it creates some sort of alter ego.

But like you said, if you have children, you don't have the option to commit suicide. You have to stick around for them. There's no telling what suicide will do to a child. You end up scarring them for life and that's not fair. And you have no idea how you'll feel when you wake up tomorrow. What if you feel better?

My step-grandma (is that even a word?) killed herself a couple years ago. She was getting on in years and had recently started falling. She lived alone in the house she raised all of her children in. She didn't want to end up in a nursing home and she didn't want to be a burden on her grown children who had their own lives. She got everything together, had a will, had all of the necessary paperwork laid out on the table. And then she took her own life. I agree that, as adults, we are in charge of our own bodies and I think we should be able to take our own lives if we're just 'done'.

This case is obviously very different. Forty-seven is SO young. And his daughter. Ugh, it makes me so sad. I love the saying your dad had and that is so very true. I'm going to keep that one in mind.

I couldn't stand the man. I felt he was controlling and abusive BEFORE the information was public.

I really feel sorry for his daughter............

Wasn't he millions in debt too?

Hopeful One said:

But like you said, if you have children, you don't have the option to commit suicide. You have to stick around for them. There's no telling what suicide will do to a child. You end up scarring them for life and that's not fair. And you have no idea how you'll feel when you wake up tomorrow. What if you feel better?

Click to expand...

Totally agree. The woman had money to see top psychologists and to get help.
She had a lot of people around her for support.
What she did was selfish with no consideration towards her child.
I have heard stories of people who have survived suicide and within seconds of attempting it they think 'oh no what did I just do ?- how can I stop this?'
I always remind my son that things always get better.
Now there is a 5 year old girl without a mom.
The pain of hurting your own child should outweigh any internal struggles. A parent should fight like h#ll by doing anything to get mental help, get sober, change their life style -etc.
Its all for the kids people.

Dee - it was the father who committed suicide, not Taylor!

I couldn't stand him either, Linda. He was creepy, IMO. And he was definitely controlling, you could see that in the show.

Hopeful One said:

Dee - it was the father who committed suicide, not Taylor!

I couldn't stand him either, Linda. He was creepy, IMO. And he was definitely controlling, you could see that in the show.

Click to expand...

He creeped me out big time and I couldn't stand him but now that little girl has no father. It was pretty obvious that Taylor was only with him because of his money. Well if he was in debt up to his ears Taylor is in real trouble now. My first husband killed himself just like Russel did and he didn't leave a note either. Insurance policies are not paid on suicides so Taylor is going to be in a real bad place now. I hope she won't blame herself but I know from experience that she will blame herself and will have to live with it the rest of her life.

I guess Taylor will just have to deal with the lawsuit all by her lonesome. She never should have had her lips done. She makes bad decisions and bad choices. She should have seen how creepy the dude was from the beginning. I guess money tends to blur things.

I think he did it because he heard the Salahis were coming to town and going to take their spot on HWBH.

i.b.nora said:

I guess Taylor will just have to deal with the lawsuit all by her lonesome. She never should have had her lips done. She makes bad decisions and bad choices. She should have seen how creepy the dude was from the beginning. I guess money tends to blur things.

I think he did it because he heard the Salahis were coming to town and going to take their spot on HWBH.

Click to expand...

Bravo has said that they are not interested in the Salahis. They are not taking anyones spot.

I personally think, just from watching the show, Taylor really loved her husband but he was too controlling and didn't really show her much love in return. I don't think she was in the marriage for money.

JMO

Hopeful One said:

But like you said, if you have children, you don't have the option to commit suicide. You have to stick around for them. There's no telling what suicide will do to a child. You end up scarring them for life and that's not fair. And you have no idea how you'll feel when you wake up tomorrow. What if you feel better?

Click to expand...

I completely agree that people with children shouldn't have the "right" to commit suicide...the child(ren) should come first. But, I think that is also placing logical responses on someone who clearly isn't in a logical state of mind. To me, in my rational head, of COURSE I would never commit suicide no matter how hopeless I felt because I couldn't put my child through that. But, sometimes people are so low and depressed that they truly believe they are doing the "best" thing for their child. Rational thought has left the building.

And, yes, resources are there to help (friends, family, counselors, psychiatrists), but that also requires either outside intervention or your ability to see that you need help. Sometimes suicidal people are so far down the rabbit hole that all sense of logic and rational thinking are gone and leave them unable to see the damage that suicide would cause their child (and other family/friends).

Having said that, I have no personal experience with suicide, so take my perspective with a grain of salt.

At times when life throws one so many curveballs at one time, everything is hopeless and not even the thoughts of leaving a loved one behind can't push beyond the pain. This man might have been "creepy" to the viewers of the show but I feel soooo sorry for this man. At some point, he lost the natural instinct all of us have for self preservation and he chose to end his life. I know that feeling. It is a lost, helpless and lonely position to be in when there is no where to turn....I pray for peace and understanding for him and his family.

P. S. I hate these shows...all of them and especially "The Real Ones". There is nothing remotely "real" about these people or these women. I have, on occasion, had to suffer through some episodes but would rather clean the toilets than have to do it again. JMO.

He also had two other sons! from another relationship.