In this July 19, 2015 photo, NBA player Rasual Butler (left) and singer Leah LaBelle (right) attend The Players’ Awards presented by BET at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for BET/AFP)
LOS ANGELES — Former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife were killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles.
The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the Studio City area and left a swath of damage along a major thoroughfare.
Coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said the 38-year-old Butler and 31-year-old Leah LaBelle Vladowski were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies are pending, as of this posting.
Butler was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat and played for a total of eight NBA teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.
Butler’s wife was an R&B singer signed to Epic Records. She placed 12th on the third season of “American Idol” in 2004. /kga