Earlier this morning, on Jan. 31, former NBA player Rasual Butler, 38 and his R&B singer wife, Leah Labelle, 31, were tragically killed in a car accident. Photos of the fatal crash have now been revealed, and they show Rasual’s black Range Rover nearly cut in half in a parking lot in a Studio City, CA shopping center. The crash, which took place around 2:00 a.m., happened after Rasual reportedly hit a parking meter. He then slammed into a wall and flipped over into the shopping center’s lot. LAFD, captured in the photos below, responded to the call around 2:30 am, but it was unfortunately too late because the victims were already dead.
Rasual, who is survived by his daughter Raven from a previous relationship, was speeding at least twice the 35mph limit seconds before the accident, according to police. Rasual and his wife, who finished in 12th place during Season 3 of American Idol, were the only casualties in the crash. We are uncertain of where the couple was coming from, but at least 14 firefighters were pictured at the scene. The parking lot also appeared to be completely empty at the time of the incident. The only other noticeable damage besides the car, seemed to be the windows of Marshalls and the wall of the parking lot. See pics in our photo gallery above, and watch a video below.
Before their shocking deaths, Rasual and Leah had very successful careers. Rasual was selected by the Miami Heat in the 2002 NBA Draft, and was traded to the New Orleans Hornets after three seasons. He then relocated to LA where he played for Clippers, but was signed to the Chicago Bulls in 2011. He retired in 2016. Leah, who is Canadian born, was signed to Epic Records and working on her debut album.
HollywoodLifers, please keep your thoughts and prayers with Rasual and Leah’s family and loved ones.