Ex-NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle — a singer who appeared on “American Idol” — were both killed in a single car crash in Studio City, California early Wednesday.
TMZ reports the couple were in a black Range Rover traveling at a high rate of speed when it jumped a curb and crashed into a shopping plaza. The truck flipped and rolled on impact with a wall.
The tragic accident happened at 2 a.m., as Butler, 38, lost control of his Range Rover, struck a parking meter, hopped a curb and slammed into a wall in the shopping plaza.
Butler — who was drafted out of college by the Miami Heat in 2002 — also played for the Hornets, Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Wizards and Spurs before retiring in 2016.
LaBelle, 31, was a R&B singer who placed 12th on the 3rd Season of “American Idol” back in 2004, according to TMZ.
NBA players and fans paid emotional tributes to the couple who have been trending on social media all say since the news broke.
Rasual is survived by a daughter from a previous relationship.
Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
