Designer Kate Spade, 55, was pronounced dead Tuesday in New York City. A housekeeper found the businesswoman in her Park Avenue apartment around 10:20 a.m. EST and she was declared deceased at the scene once police arrived, according to TMZ. She allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself with a scarf and left a note.

kate spade dead
Designer Kate Spade, pictured at the Tribeca Ball 2011 at the New York Academy of Art on April 4, 2011 in New York City, died this week. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for New York Academy of Art

Spade was married to Andy Spade — David Spade’s brother — and the two had a daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade, in 2005, and also had co-founded Kate Spade New York together. The business was sold over 10 years ago and in 2016, Kate began a new footwear and handbag company, Frances Valentine, named after her daughter. It sells its products on its website, as well as at Saks Off 5th, among others. Meanwhile, Kate Spade New York still continues today, without her, and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Television personality and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel wrote, “Poor @katespadeny to be in so much pain. Success doesn’t make you happy. True love & peace does,” while actress Jameela Jamil posted, “Extremely sad to head about the passing of Kate Spade. What an iconic talent.”

Fellow fashion designer Liz Lange tweeted: “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.”

Chelsea Clinton also posted on the social platform to tell the story of how her “grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college” and she still has it.”Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart,” she continued.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) board chairman and designer, Diane von Furstenberg, and the company’s president and CEO, Steven Kolb, wrote a note on the organization’s website about her death. “The CFDA is devastated to hear the news of our friend, colleague, and CFDA member Kate Spade’s tragic passing,” they wrote. “She was a great talent who had an immeasurable impact on American fashion and the way the world viewed American accessories. We want to honor her life and her major contribution to the fashion business and express our most sincere condolences to the family.”

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