Kate Spade, Fashion Designer, Dies at 55 in Apparent Suicide

Fashion designer Kate Spade has died at the age of 55. She was found dead in her Manhattan apartment after an apparent suicide, according to law enforcement officials who spoke with the Associated Press.

The style icon’s body was found hanging by her housekeeper at around 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday at her Park Avenue residence, according to the AP.

Also Read: Kate Spade's Hollywood Family Includes David Spade, Rachel Brosnahan

Officials told the AP she left a note at the scene, but said they were not authorized to share its details.

Spade’s husband was at the scene, according to The New York Times. Police did not immediately know the location her 13-year-old daughter.

The Kansas City, Missouri-born designer co-founded Kate Spade Handbags in the early ’90s, later expanding the handbag enterprise to include clothing, shoes and other fashion accessories. Her Hollywood ties include comedian David Spade — she married his brother, Andy, in 1994 — and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan, who is her niece.

Her brand, Kate Spade New York, touts more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the U.S. and more than 175 shops internationally.

Also Read: Fashion World, Fans Stunned by Kate Spade Death: 'I Am Heartbroken'

Last year, the designer’s name brand fashion empire Kate Spade & Co. sold to Coach Inc., now named Tapestry.

18 Famous People Who Died on Their Birthday, From Shakespeare to Ingrid Bergman (Photos)

A number of well-known folks have died on their birthdays. Here are 18 of the most famous of them.
Renowned Renaissance painter Raphael died April 6, 1520, his 37th birthday.
William Shakespeare, a.k.a. The Bard, passed away on April 23, 1616, what is thought to be his 52nd birthday.
Edna May Oliver, a popular character actress in early Hollywood who earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in 1939's "Drums Along the Mohawk," died on her 59th birthday -- November 9, 1942 -- following an intestinal ailment. (By the way, Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar that year for "Gone With the Wind.)
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George Francis Barnes (a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly), the Prohibition-era gangster, died in prison of a heart attack on July 18, 1954, his 59th birthday.
Early jazz saxophonist Sidney Bechet died of lung cancer on May 14, 1959, his 62nd birthday.
Swede Risberg, an early 20th century baseball player best known for being one of the members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team accused of intentionally losing the World Series in exchange for payments from gamblers, died on his 81st birthday on Oct. 13, 1975.
Country singer Mel Street died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on his 43rd birthday, on Oct. 21, 1978.
Ingrid Bergman, three-time Oscar winner and one of the biggest stars in the history of cinema, died of breast cancer on Aug. 29, 1982, her 67th birthday.
Corrie Ten Boom, who along with her family helped Jews escape the Holocaust when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands during World War II, died of a stroke on her 91st birthday on April 15, 1983.
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Feminist activist Betty Friedan, who co-founded the National Organization for Women, died on her 85th birthday on Feb. 4, 2006.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., congressman and son of four-term U.S. president FDR, died on his 74th birthday on Aug. 17, 1988.
Mike Douglas, a Big Band-era singer, found a second career as the genial host of a syndicated daytime talk show in the 1960s and '70s that helped introduce stars like Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin. He died on August 11, 2006, exactly 81 years after he was born.
Big Band singer and actress Fran Warren died March 4, 2013, on her 87th birthday.
Country singer Merle Haggard died on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday.
Also Read: Merle Haggard, Country Music Legend, Dies at 79
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Ed Aschoff, college football reporter for ESPN, died on his 34th birthday, Dec. 24, 2019, after a bout with pneumonia.
Also Read: Ed Aschoff, ESPN College Football Reporter, Dies on His 34th Birthday
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Milton Glaser, the graphic designer who created the "I ❤ NY" logo and co-founded New York magazine, died on June 26, 2020, on his 91st birthday.
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Frankie Lons, the mother of R&B singer Keyshia Cole and star of the BET reality series "Frankie & Neffe," died on her 61st birthday -- July 18, 2021.
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Max Julien, an actor best known for playing a pimp named Goldie opposite Richard Pryor in 1973's "The Mack," died on New Year's Day, 2022 -- which happened to be his 88th birthday.
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