A handful of new details have emerged in regard to the shocking and tragic death of Kate Spade.
As previously reported, the fashion icon seemingly committed suicide inside her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday morning, with Spade’s housekeeper finding her boss’s body around 10:20 a.m.
Spade was 55 years old.
The veteran handbag maker reportedly used a scarf tied to a bedroom door knob to take her own life.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after this horrible news went public, Kate Spade New York released the following statement via its official Twitter account:
Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed.
Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly heartbreaking time. We honor all the beauty she brought into this world.
We can also now confirm that Spade’s husband was at the apartment when his wife’s body was discovered.
Spade was one of the world’s most famous fashion designers.
She was specifically known and respected for creating a line of handbags and jewelry in the 1990s… which blossomed into a fashion enterprise with over 140 retail stores across the United States.
Kate got her start in the 1980s, working for women’s magazine “Mademoiselle” in Manhattan.
Together with husband Andy (the brother of actor David Space), Spade launched Kate Spade Handbags in 1993; it eventually turned into a full-scale clothing and jewelry line.
Spade sold her company in 2007 and took some time off to raise her daughter.
However, Kate then got back in the fashion game in 2016 by launching a new brand called Frances Valentine … named after her daughter, who’s now 13 years old.
This is especially relevant and sad at the moment because The New York Post reports that Kate did, in fact, leave a suicide note.
It mainly addressed her daughter, telling Frances that her suicide was NOT the teenager’s fault.
A police source, meanwhile, told this same newspaper that the suicide was due to “relationship problems.” We don’t feel comfortable speculating beyond that.
In response to this news, a number of celebrities have expressed their sadness and surprise on Twitter. Take fellow designer Liz Lange, for instance:
The nicest woman, the first person to compliment me on Liz Lange Maternity when I first started. And the creator of the most iconic brand. I am heart broken by this news.
And Chelsea Clinton:
My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart.
And Tess Holliday:
Kate Spade & her brand have always been so kind to me the past couple years & I’m crushed to hear about her passing. Suicide isn’t ‘the easy way out’ and shouldn’t be mocked. My heart goes out to her family & team today.
And Ivanka Trump:
Kate Spade’s tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain or the burden they carry. If you are struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, please, please seek help.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
