Ken Russell, the retired Flowery Branch businessman who lost his bid for a state House seat in the Republican primary, has died. He was 77.The cause of death has not been announced pending an autopsy.Russell earned 41 percent of the vote July 31 in his bid for the new State House District 103 seat that straddles Hall and Gwinnett counties. Lawrenceville businessman Timothy Barr won the GOP bid with 59 percent of the vote, and is unopposed on the fall ballot.In his campaign biography, Russell stated he owned a private investigative firm for 18 years, contracting with state and federal agencies for background checks.