Russell Armstrong's suicide 911 call released (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The emergency call made by the friend who found the body of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" husband Russell Armstrong was released on Tuesday, as reports emerged that cast members had filmed a new segment about the suicide for the TV show.

The 911 call obtained by celebrity website TMZ.com revealed that Armstrong's estranged wife Taylor and their 5-year-old daughter Kennedy were both in the house when the body of the venture capitalist was found hanging by an electrical cord two weeks ago.

Taylor Armstrong, who had filed for divorce in July, can be heard sobbing and the caller tells her to keep Kennedy out of the room.

Armstrong committed suicide just three weeks before the September 5 second season premiere of the TV reality show.

Cable channel Bravo has been re-editing the reality TV series, which looks at the lives of wealthy and pampered women in Beverly Hills, because the upcoming season was originally expected to feature the crumbling Armstrong marriage.

Sources close to the show told Reuters on Tuesday that the other "Housewives" got together this week to film a segment in which they discuss the tragedy. But it is not a special or stand-alone episode and Bravo has not yet decided when to broadcast it.

Taylor Armstrong did not take part in the filming.

The second season had been set to premiere on September 5. Bravo has yet to announce how it plans to proceed with the new season of the popular franchise given Armstrong's suicide and the media attention it has attracted.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bob Tourtellotte)

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"Real Housewives" to be tweaked after Armstrong suicide (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Reality show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is being re-edited following the suicide of Russell Armstrong, a Bravo cable channel source said on Friday, in an indication that the network plans to go ahead with the second season.

No decision has yet been made about whether the drama-filled show will premiere as planned on September 5, but the source said the process of re-editing has begun.

Bravo declined to say which parts of the show -- filmed earlier in the summer -- were being tweaked. But they are likely to involve appearances by Russell Armstrong, whose crumbling marriage to "Housewives" star Taylor Armstrong was expected to be a dominant theme of the upcoming season.

The 47 year-old venture capitalist was found hung by an electrical cord on Monday a month after his wife filed for divorce citing verbal and physical abuse.

Russell Taylor was also facing huge financial problems and his mother said this week that her son feared the new season was going to "crucify" him.

The original second season opener shown to TV journalists had Taylor Armstrong talking about being in marriage counseling and shopping for sexy underwear in a bid to improve their relationship.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" features the lives of six wealthy women and is one of the most popular of the drama-filled "Real Housewives" franchises.

Armstrong's suicide stunned Hollywood, and claims by friends and family members that his suicide was prompted partly by the pressure of being on the show have only attracted more interest in the new season.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant)

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Coroner confirms "Real Housewives" husband suicide (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The husband of Beverly Hills "Real Housewives" television star Taylor Armstrong committed suicide by hanging, coroner officials said on Wednesday.

An autopsy on Russell Armstrong, 47, also found no preliminary traces of drugs or alcohol in the body of the venture capitalist who died on Monday, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said.

No suicide note was found with his body.

Armstrong's death came three weeks before the scheduled start of the second season of the reality TV show about six rich women in Beverly Hills.

Taylor Armstrong had filed for divorce in July and her husband was facing a $1.5 million breach of contract lawsuit. His lawyer told reporters on Tuesday that Russell Armstrong was facing huge financial problems and said the apparently wealthy couple were living way beyond their means.

Cable channel Bravo has yet to say whether it will go ahead with "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" as planned on September 5, or how it will deal with the tragedy on screen.

"We're all still trying to process yesterday's very sad news, and looking at how to proceed with the series, which has finished primary production and was set to premiere on Labor Day. We'll let you know what we decide when we do. In the meantime, we're sending our thoughts and prayers to Taylor and the rest of Russell's family," Bravo's original programing executive Andy Cohen said on his blog on Wednesday.

The marital problems of Taylor and Russell Armstrong emerged in the first season of the show earlier this year, and were expected to be a key theme in the upcoming season.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Suicide rocks Beverly Hills "Real Housewives" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The estranged husband of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Taylor Armstrong has been found dead in what police on Tuesday said appeared to be a suicide.

Venture capitalist Russell Armstrong was found dead on Monday evening at a house on Los Angeles' famous Mulholland Drive, a Los Angeles police spokesman said.

Celebrity website TMZ.com said Armstrong, 47, was found hanging in a bedroom. Police could not confirm details but said Armstrong's death was being treated as an apparent suicide.

Armstrong's wife Taylor filed for divorce in July and her struggle to keep her six year marriage alive was expected to be a key theme in the second season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", which is due to start on September 5.

Russell Armstrong was hit with a $1.5 million breach of contract lawsuit in July by a company that claimed it hired him to expand its business but alleged he had misused the funds to redecorate the mansion he shared with his wife.

Armstrong's lawyer Ronald Richards told TMZ on Tuesday that Armstrong had huge debt problems, but Richards said he had no idea Armstrong was depressed.

"His credit cards weren't working...He had tremendous financial problems," Richards was quoted as telling TMZ. "He was also extremely bummed out about the divorce with Taylor."

Taylor Armstrong told People magazine last month that the couple had explosive arguments and accused Russell of pushing and shoving her. Russell Armstrong admitted things had become heated but told People "this (TV) show has literally pushed us to the limit." The couple have one young daughter, Kennedy.

The popular reality show about the lives of rich and pampered women in the Beverly Hills area was filmed over the summer.

"All of us at Bravo are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Our sympathy and thoughts are with the Armstrong family at this difficult time," the cable TV channel said in a statement.

Fellow "Housewives" cast members were stunned by the news. Camille Grammer, whose divorce from "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer played out over the first season of the TV show, said in a Twitter message, "My sympathy and condolences go out to Taylor and Kennedy. My thoughts and prayers are with them."

Danielle Staub. a cast member of the New Jersey version of the TV franchise, said in a Twitter message to Taylor Armstrong "Love and prayers to you and your family. I pray your privacy will be respected in this great time of need!"

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Songwriter's death in NYC is ruled a suicide (AP)

NEW YORK – The Academy Award-winning songwriter of "You Light Up My Life," who was awaiting trial on rape charges and was found dead in his apartment, committed suicide, the medical examiner's office ruled Monday, citing asphyxia by helium.

Joseph Brooks was discovered in his apartment Sunday by a friend with whom he was supposed to meet for lunch. The door was unlocked and the doorman at Brooks' apartment was given instructions to allow the friend upstairs.

Police said the 73-year-old was found slumped over on a coach in his den. A plastic dry-cleaning bag was wrapped around his head and a towel was wrapped around his neck. A hose was attached to the bag and a small tank of helium nearby.

The medical examiner's office said Monday Brooks died of asphyxia due to displacement of oxygen by helium gas within the plastic bag over his head.

Helium is generally difficult to detect in an autopsy. Using it to commit suicide is outlined in a best-selling suicide manual by British author Derek Humphry.

The songwriter was awaiting trial on allegations that he lured women to his apartment through an online ad offering auditions for a movie role, then sexually assaulted them after making them drink apparently drugged wine as part of an "acting exercise." He pleaded not guilty in 2009, and his court date had not yet been set.

Police said a rambling, three-page suicide note was found that included complaints about his health.

Brooks suffered a stroke in 2008, and his lawyer had said the songwriter's health was deteriorating during the court case. He appeared gaunt and shuffled slowly as he came to recent court dates.

Brooks won the Academy Award for best original song for the 1977 Debby Boone ballad "You Light Up My Life" and directed a movie of the same name about a comedian who had a one-night stand with a director. Brooks also won a Grammy for the song.

"I have been saddened to hear of the horrible tragedies surrounding Joe Brooks and his family over the years," Boone said in a statement released through a friend on Monday.

"My only real association with Joe was in 1977 for a couple of hours in a New York recording studio when I recorded his beautiful song. I will continue to sing it proudly and hope that people will be able to separate the song from Joe's severely troubled life," Boone said.

In an unrelated case, Brooks' son, Nicholas, is charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, Peruvian-American swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay. She was found dead, half-clothed and face-up, in a tub at the swanky Soho House after water began leaking through to the floor below.

Nicholas Brooks has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at the Rikers Island jail complex.

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Songwriter's death in NYC is ruled a suicide (AP)

NEW YORK – The Academy Award-winning songwriter of "You Light Up My Life," who was awaiting trial on rape charges and was found dead in his apartment, committed suicide, the medical examiner's office ruled Monday, citing asphyxia by helium.

Joseph Brooks was discovered in his apartment Sunday by a friend with whom he was supposed to meet for lunch. The door was unlocked and the doorman at Brooks' apartment was given instructions to allow the friend upstairs.

Police said the 73-year-old was found slumped over on a coach in his den. A plastic dry-cleaning bag was wrapped around his head and a towel was wrapped around his neck. A hose was attached to the bag and a small tank of helium nearby.

The medical examiner's office said Monday Brooks died of asphyxia due to displacement of oxygen by helium gas within the plastic bag over his head.

Helium is generally difficult to detect in an autopsy. Using it to commit suicide is outlined in a best-selling suicide manual by British author Derek Humphry.

The songwriter was awaiting trial on allegations that he lured women to his apartment through an online ad offering auditions for a movie role, then sexually assaulted them after making them drink apparently drugged wine as part of an "acting exercise." He pleaded not guilty in 2009, and his court date had not yet been set.

Police said a rambling, three-page suicide note was found that included complaints about his health.

Brooks suffered a stroke in 2008, and his lawyer had said the songwriter's health was deteriorating during the court case. He appeared gaunt and shuffled slowly as he came to recent court dates.

Brooks won the Academy Award for best original song for the 1977 Debby Boone ballad "You Light Up My Life" and directed a movie of the same name about a comedian who had a one-night stand with a director. Brooks also won a Grammy for the song.

"I have been saddened to hear of the horrible tragedies surrounding Joe Brooks and his family over the years," Boone said in a statement released through a friend on Monday.

"My only real association with Joe was in 1977 for a couple of hours in a New York recording studio when I recorded his beautiful song. I will continue to sing it proudly and hope that people will be able to separate the song from Joe's severely troubled life," Boone said.

In an unrelated case, Brooks' son, Nicholas, is charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, Peruvian-American swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay. She was found dead, half-clothed and face-up, in a tub at the swanky Soho House after water began leaking through to the floor below.

Nicholas Brooks has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at the Rikers Island jail complex.

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Lawyer in Michael Jackson Trial Says Singer Committed Suicide Over Finances

The lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray, the man accused of administering the drugs that killed Michael Jackson, is claiming that his client is an innocent man.

The AP reports that Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, is arguing that it was Jackson himself and not Murray that ended the King of Pop's life.

In a pre-trial hearing, Chernoff put forth the theory that Jackson was so distraught over his declining empire and deep debt that he took his own life, and asked for access to Jackson's financial records to gather proof.
Prosecutors slammed Chernoff, claiming that his allegations were part of a ploy to defame Jackson.

The judge denied Chernoff's request on grounds that it was an unnecessary invasion of Jackson's privacy.

The court is still screening jurors for the upcoming trial.

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