NEW YORK—Fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, was found dead inside her New York apartment on Tuesday, June 5. Officials from the New York Police Department indicate Spade’s death is the result of an apparent suicide. According to reports, Spade was found hanging from her Park Avenue resident after 10:00 a.m. by housekeeping staff.
TMZ reported that the designer utilized a scarf to hang herself and that a note was left at the scene. Spade was born as Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan. She worked at Mademoiselle in 1986 and later met Andy Spade, the brother of comedian and actor David Spade while attending school at Arizona State University.
The two worked at a clothing store, where they later launched the Kate Spade brand in 1993. The designer was known for her handbags, but also her jewelry, clothing, shoes and other accessories. Her first boutique opened in 1996 in New York. She sold her shares to the company in 2006 and launched the fashion brand Frances Valentine in 2016. The company was recently sold to Coach Inc. for $2.4 billion in May 2017.
The following message was posted on the Kate Spade Facebook page:
“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.”
Kate Spade New York has over 140 shops and outlet stores throughout the United States. Kate married Andy in 1994. They share one daughter together, Frances Beatrix Spade who was born in 2005.
