Kate Spade — who left fashion reporting to start a massive clothing and accessories empire — has hanged herself in her NYC apartment at the age of 55.
Law enforcement sources reported that a housekeeper had called 911 on the morning of June 5 after finding Kate hanging from a red scarf tied to a doorknob.
Police found the doomed designer at 10:20 a.m., and she was pronounced dead on the scene.
Kate founded Kate Spade Handbags in 1993, which grew into a billion-dollar enterprise. She sold her final holdings in the company in 2006.
She then launched began a new fashion company in 2016 named after her daughter, Frances Valentine.
Kate had recently changed her own name to Kate Valentine Spade for purposes of rebranding. There are over 175 “Kate Spade” shops around the globe.
Kate had started her business in 1993 with her husband Andy Spade, who had left his job as one of NYC’s top advertising creatives to launch the brand. She was the sister-in-law of comedian David Spade.
