As reactions pour in over the premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Russell Armstrong’s friend is speaking out for the first time about making the 911 call at Armstrong’s suicide. INSIDE EDITION has the latest.
The man who discovered the body of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills's Russell Armstrong speaks out for the first time.
Francisco Martin's voice can be heard on the dramatic 911 call, made moments after he and Taylor Armstrong discovered her husband's body.
"Nobody saw this coming and that's just what this is. We're talking about a guy who took his life because he was under a lot of pressure," said Martin.
The Los Angeles businessman was concerned when he hadn't heard from his good friend Russell in several days. So he and Taylor made a plan to meet at the house where Russell was staying. That's when they found his body hanging in a bedroom.
"There was nothing that could be done at that point," said Martin.
The premiere of the new season aired Monday night, beginning with all the housewives except Taylor in a roundtable discussion of the suicide.
Now there's controversy about how Bravo is handling the tragedy.
"The only meaningful statement Bravo could have made after the suicide...would have been to cancel Season 2," wrote a columnist in the Los Angeles Times.
Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, and Adrienne Maloof appeared on the Today show for their first live interview since the suicide.
Richards said, "It's a very difficult situation, but the show isn't just about them. It's about six women and their lives."
The Today show's Ann Curry asked, "You watched the show, the entire episode last week with Taylor. What was her reaction?"
"She thought that they handled it respectfully and in light of the situation, she was pleased with the outcome," said Richards.
The premiere showed Taylor, months before Russell killed himself, revealing that they were in couples therapy. Video of Russell himself never appeared in the premiere and footage of Taylor shopping for lingerie to spice up their marriage was cut in sensitivity to the suicide. It had been released weeks ago, before the suicide, to promote the show.
