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Kate Spade Left Suicide Note Telling Daughter It’s Not Her Fault And To ‘Ask Daddy’
The famous handbag designer's sister said the suicide was not a surprise.
Famed handbag designer Kate Spade left a suicide note with a heartbreaking message for her family.
"Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!" she wrote to her 13-year-old daughter Frances, according to TMZ.
Spade, 55, hanged herself with a scarf and was found by a housekeeper in her Park Avanue apartment.
Her husband Andy Spade picked up their daughter from school with police, and "everyone was crying," People reported.
Spade's family said they were struggling to comprehend the designer's demise.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” her 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.”
One of Spade's sisters, Reta Saffo, told the New York Daily News that the suicide didn't come as a surprise.
“I will say this was not unexpected by me. I’d flown out to Napa and NYC several times in the past 3-4 years to help her to get the treatment she needed (inpatient hospitalization)," she wrote in an email. "She was always a very excitable little girl and I felt all the stress/pressure of her brand (KS) may have flipped the switch where she eventually became full-on manic depressive."
The sister said she tried to get help for Spade in a mental health facility.
“She was all set to go — but then chickened out by morning. We’d get sooo close to packing her bags, but — in the end, the ‘image’ of her brand (happy-go-lucky Kate Spade) was more important for her to keep up," she wrote. "She was definitely worried about what people would say if they found out.”
Spade's company also put out a statement about the suicide.
“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,” it said. “Kate will be dearly missed.”
Individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available to provide emotional support during mental health emergencies, 24/7. They can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.
[Photo: Getty]
