Kate Spade, the fashion designer and businesswoman, hanged herself in an apparent suicide Tuesday at a New York City apartment, according to a New York Police Department source.
Police responded at 10:10 a.m. after Spade was found by her housekeeper, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said. A suicide note was found at the scene, he added.
Spade, 55, started Kate Spade New York in 1993 and opened her first shop in the city three years later, the company’s website states.
Kate Spade New York issued a statement confirming the “incredibly sad news” of their eponymous founder’s death.
“Although Kate has not been affiliated with the brand for more than a decade, she and her husband and creative partner, Andy, were the founders of our beloved brand,” the statement said. “Kate will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time.” We honor all the beauty she brought into this world,” the company added in a tweet.