R.I.P.

A new twist has been added to the death of Russell Armstrong.

TMZ confirms that Alan Schram, a business associate and friend of the late Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star, also killed himself last week, just 24 hours after Russell did the same. Schram's body, with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, was found on August 16, outside of his parked car on Mulholland Drive.

Schram was the managing partner of a Los-Angeles based hedgefund and was part of Tiger 21, an organization of wealthy individuals who discussed investments together. Russell was also reportedly a member of this club.

The reasons behind Armstrong's suicide will never be fully understood, but the man definitely had money problems. He was facing a $1.5 million lawsuit at the time of his death and was laid to rest on Wednesday.

Michael Showers, an actor who had a recurring role as police Capt. John Guidry on the HBO drama Treme, was found dead in the Mississippi River this morning.

He was 45.

A steamboat captain spotted him at around 11:15 a.m. in waters near New Orleans' French Quarter. Harbor Police recovered the body about 30 minutes later.

An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death, but the chief investigator estimated that Showers' body had been in the water for two days.

The Times-Picayune identified Showers as being from Chalmette, a town in southeast Louisiana situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

Showers made appearances in Breaking Bad and The Vampire Diaries. His film credits include Traffic, I Love You Phillip Morris and The Tree of Life.

He will be missed.

Frank Potenza, the uncle of Jimmy Kimmel and a long-time New York City police officer who retired in 2003 and became a often-used personality on his nephew's talk show, passed away this morning. He was 77.

Uncle Frank Potenza on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Jimmy Kimmel Live has confirmed the news and released a statement referring to how much Frank's "kindness and humor" will be missed. His cause of death is unknown at this time.

"Thank you for your kind words about a very kind man - my Uncle Frank - who passed away this morning," Jimmy Tweeted a couple hours ago.

Nick Ashford, who helped establish a gold standard for R&B duets with wife Valerie Simpson, died Monday in New York of throat cancer. He was 69.

Ashford & Simpson penned and produced many '60s hits for Motown's Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

"You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "Your Precious Love" were also among the twosome's creations.

Nick Ashford also wrote hits for Chuck Jackson, The Shirelles, Maxine Brown, the Fifth Dimension and numerous other artists of the era.

Ray Charles' 1966 No. 1 R&B hit "Let's Go Get Stoned" was his breakthrough record. They would later write and produce Diana Ross' biggest solo hits, including her signature "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)."

They also wrote Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman," which was later recorded by Whitney Houston. Basically, they were mega-hitmakers.

Ashford's death comes amid news that another famous songwriter, Jerry Leiber, passed away yesterday as well. Both will be missed.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Jerry Leiber, one of the most famous songwriters of his era, has passed away from cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78.

Often working with Mike Stolle, Leiber was born in Baltimore and penned such iconic tracks as "Stand By Me" and "Jailhouse Rock." The partners met in high school and started writing together soon after.

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock

"He was my friend, my buddy, my writing partner for 61 years," Stoller said. "We met when we were 17 years old. He had a way with words. There was nobody better. I am going to miss him."

Leiber is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is survived by three children, Jed, Oliver, and Jake; and two grandchildren, Chloe and Daphne.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has turned more real than ever, in the most tragic of ways.

TMZ reports that Russell Armstrong, who appeared often on this Bravo series last season and who filed for divorce from Taylor Armstrong this summer in light of abuse allegations, hanged himself Monday night. He was 47.

Around 8 p.m. PST, authorities responded to a 911 call placed by one of Russell's roommates. They found his body hanging in the bathroom of his home on Mulholland Drive when they arrived.

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Four people died and 40 more were injured after a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair last night, just before the country band Sugarland performed.

High winds are believed to have been the cause of the tragedy.

The collapse was partially captured by a concert-goer. Watch:

Sugarland Concert Stage Collapse

The stage collapse was as unexpected as it was lethal.

"The wind just picked up and the stage just caught and the roof just caught and it went up like a sail and then it crashed forward into the people standing in the front," said a reporter for WANE-TV in Indiana.

"There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming. They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave."

Our condolences to the families of those were were lost.

Jani Lane, the former Warrant frontman who wrote that rock group's most well-known song, "Cherry Pie," has passed away. He was 47.

The singer's body was discovered at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, California last night. Officials are yet to reveal the cause of death.

Warrant in Concert

Following his tenure with Warrant, Lane left to pursue a solo career. More recently, he dealt with alcohol-related problems in his professional and personal life, being sentenced to four months in jail after his second DUI arrest in two years in 2010.

Our thoughts go out to Lane's loved ones.

Francesco Quinn, actor and son of silver screen legend Anthony Quinn, died on Friday near his home in Malibu, Calif. He was only 48 years old.

The younger Quinn shot to stardom in the Oliver Stone movie Platoon, and became a staple on TV with regular and guest-starring roles since.

He has appeared on countless series including ER, 24 and NCIS. Born in Rome, Francesco also frequently worked on Italian television projects.

R.I.P. Francesco Quinn (1963-2011).

According to reports, Francesco collapsed two days ago while out running with his son Max. Neighbors and then paramedics tried to revive him.

Tragically, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A dead ringer for his father, who passed away in 2001, Francesco leaves behind his wife Valentina and three children. May he rest in peace.

Charles "Bubba" Smith, a former football player best known for his role as Hightower in the Police Academy franchise, passed away today. He was 66.

A bit before 1 p.m. local time, police responded to a call from Smith's Baldwin Hills home. They arrived and found the actor already dead inside. He is believed to have died of natural causes.

Bubba Smith Commercial

Bubba played defense end for nine seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the former team, but will forever be remembered for his character of Officer Moses Hightower in six films.

Our thoughts go out to his loved ones.