RIP

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Russell Armstrong was at his wits end over his impending divorce from Taylor in the days leading to his death -- and he was inundated with debt.

Russell's lawyer Ronald Richards tells TMZ, Russell had been staying at a friend's house on Mulholland Drive in L.A. -- the same house where authorities found his body hanging last night.

Richards tells us, "I feel bad because his credit cards weren't working ... He had tremendous financial problems."

Richards adds, "He was also extremely bummed out about the divorce with Taylor. As far as a will, even if he does have a will, they don't have any assets, so I'm not sure what there would be left to leave. I am extremely saddened ... I had no idea he was depressed."

Five people are dead and 40 more injured after a stage collapsed tonight at the Indiana State Fair before the country band Sugarland was to perform.

High winds were believed to have been the cause.

A reporter for WANE-TV in Indiana was in the crowd at the time and described what happened like this: "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. There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming. They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave."

Jani Lane's former band will pay tribute to the fallen singer at their concert tonight in North Dakota ... TMZ has learned.

Guitarist Erik Turner -- who co-founded the band -- tells us, "We will be making a tribute before we play the song 'Heaven' tonight."

He adds, "We never thought that when the song 'Heaven' was written we would be playing it someday in the memory of Jani's untimely death. This is a very sad day for rock and roll. One of the great things about music is that it lives on forever."

Lane penned the song "Heaven" back in 1989 -- and it's said to be the band's most commercially successful single.

Past and present members of Warrant are mourning the loss of their old frontman Jani Lane -- claiming, "He was a true talent and will be missed by all of us."

The band released a collective statement on their website moments ago, on behalf of all former and current members -- adding, "We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Jani's passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Investigators found a half-empty bottle of vodka and prescription medication in the hotel room where Jani Lane died yesterday ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us paramedics were called to the Comfort Inn in Woodland Hills, CA yesterday around 5:15 PM. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

An autopsy is scheduled for later today.

Jani Lane -- former lead singer of the rock band Warrant -- was found dead at a hotel in L.A. Thursday evening ... TMZ has learned.

Lane's body was discovered at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, CA. So far, no official cause of death has been released.

Lane famously penned the band's biggest hit "Cherry Pie" back in 1989 ... before eventually leaving the band to pursue a solo career.

Lane had a history of alcohol-related issues -- he was ordered to serve 120 days in jail after he was arrested for DUI in 2010 ... his second DUI in two years.

The entire metal community is mourning the death of Warrant singer Jani Lane ... including Slash who posted a message saying, "Just heard about Jani Lane. What a shame. RIP man."

Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crue also weighed in ... saying, "I just heard the sad news about Jani Lane. So hard to swallow when people have kids. RIP."

Alice Cooper posted a message calling Lane a "fallen brother." And Bret Michaels from Poison added, "We'd like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Jani Lane regarding their loss."

Francesco Quinn, a successful actor and son of the late screen legend Anthony Quinn, died Friday night at the age of 48 ... according to several reports.

A neighbor told the Malibu Patch that Quinn was running near his home with his son Max when he collapsed. Paramedics arrived quickly, according to the paper, but Quinn was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

TMZ has done more recon and has gotten the real lowdown on HOW Charlie Harper died -- and it isn't pretty.

Sources at Friday night's taping tell us ... Harper married Rose -- the neighbor/stalker he flew to Paris with last season -- but things went downhill quickly when she found him in the shower with another woman.

In the episode, we're told Rose speaks at the funeral and recounts what happened to Charlie ... saying the day after the shower incident she and Charlie were waiting for a Paris subway when Charlie "slipped" and the subway literally blew him apart in a "meat explosion."

The strong inclination was that Rose pushed him and got away with it.

Annette Charles -- who played Cha Cha in the 1978 movie "Grease" -- died last night in her Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ.

Her rep tells us, she passed away due to complications from cancer.

The family is planning to release a full statement within the next 24 hours. Annette was 63.

A family member tells us, "Annette had recently started having difficulty breathing ... and when she went to the doctor she learned that she had a cancerous tumor in one of her lungs."

We're told doctors only learned about her condition a few months ago.

Steve Guttenberg just released a statement to TMZ about the passing of his good friend and "Police Academy" co-star Bubba Smith.

"Bubba was my friend. His generosity was far larger than his physical stature."

He adds, "Only his gift for caring about his friends and family could compare with his achievements on the football field, film and television. He also laughed like no other."

Former NFL great Charles "Bubba" Smith -- who later starred in the "Police Academy" movies -- was found dead today in his Los Angeles home. He was 66 years old.

Law enforcement officials tell TMZ ... LAPD received a 911 call at 12:54PM today -- and officers responded to his home in the Baldwin Hills area. The fire department also responded and we're told Smith was dead when authorities arrived.

The L.A. County Coroner is on the scene investigating. We're told, at this point, authorities think he died of natural causes.

According to the L.A. Times, Bubba's caretaker discovered the body and called police. His autopsy will be performed later this week.

Bubba -- a towering 6'7" -- spent 9 seasons as a defensive end in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers.

He won Super Bowl V with the Colts -- but is most famous for his role as the giant and lovable Moses Hightower in 6 of the "Police Academy" movies.

U.S. Olympic skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson called 911 moments before he committed suicide Monday ... and while fighting back tears, the 29-year-old told the operator, "I'm going to kill myself."

Peterson then gave his location to the operator and said, "I want police to come get the body." He then hung up the phone.

Cops in Summit County, Utah responded to the spot where Peterson said he would be ... and found the skier's body "obviously deceased from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head."

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Peterson left a suicide note ... but cops are not releasing it to the public.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead yesterday in his California home -- and law enforcement sources tell TMZ, it appears he committed suicide by hanging himself. We're told a friend found him.

L.A. County Coroner is still trying to locate next of kin.

Hideki played for the Yankees, Expos, and Rangers -- last pitching in the big leagues in 2002. He won World Series rings with the Yanks in 1998 and 1999.

Irabu was 42.

Story developing ...

Peek was found dead in his bed by his wife. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.

"America's" most famous songs include "Tin Man", "Sister Golden Hair", "Daisy Jane", and "Lonely People".

Peek left the band in 1977 and became a Contemporary Christian Music artist.

He was 60.

Salt Lake County Unified Police told KTVB ... Peterson called cops to tell them where he was before he shot himself. His body was discovered late Monday night.

Peterson was arrested last week in Idaho for speeding and DUI.

Jeret was a 3-time Olympian -- competing in 2002, 2006 and 2010 in Vancouver.

He was 29-years old.

Jeret was famous for his sick signature move called "the Hurricane" -- 3 somersaults and 5 twists.