Kate Spade, Renowned Fashion Designer, Dead in Apparent Suicide at 55
Well-known fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment in Manhattan on Tuesday, June 5, in a case of apparent suicide. She was 55 years old.
News of her death shocked not only family, friends, and fans of her designs. The untimely passing of the renowned designer triggered an outpouring of tributes from the fashion world as a whole, in honor of her "lively, colorful and joyous" creations.
The police reported that she was found by housekeeping staff inside her Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan at around 10:20 a.m., Tuesday morning, local time, according to authorities via CBS News. Spade had apparently hanged herself with a scarf attached to a door knob, and according to law enforcement, a note was found at the scene which might have been written by the designer.
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The contents of the note have not been publicly disclosed as of this time. Authorities added that her husband, Andy Spade, who was also the co-founder of Kate Spade New York, was in the apartment at the time.
So far, with investigations still in the early stages, police detectives led by NYPD's Dermot Shea are looking into the possibility of a "tragic suicide." Investigators are now trying to find out how long Spade has been dead by the time she was found, which will hopefully get established when the medical examiner performs the autopsy.
"We are all devastated by today's tragedy," Spade's family said in a statement. "We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time," they added, via a representative.
The company she and her husband have founded and later sold, Kate Spade New York, has issued a statement as well. "Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed," the statement on the brand's website read.
"Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly heartbreaking time. We honor all the beauty she brought into this world," the company added via their website as well as on social media.
Kate Spade New York, which started from a single location that carries her first "no-fuss" handbag designs, now has over 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the U.S. and more than 175 shops internationally.
David Spade, actor, comedian, and brother-in-law to Kate Spade, took to social media as well to share his fond memories of the fashion icon. "Fuzzy picture but I love it. Kate and I during Christmas family photos. We had so much fun that day," he wrote to go along with an Instagram photo.
"She was so sharp and quick on her feet. She could make me laugh so hard. I still can't believe it," he added.
Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump also paid tribute on social media to the late fashion designer. "My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it," Clinton said in her tweet.
