Kate Spade reportedly left a suicide note addressed to her 13-year-old daughter that claimed her death “was not her fault.”
“Bea–I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy,” the note read, according to TMZ Tuesday. It was discovered on the bed near the body of the 55-year-old fashion designer who died of an apparent suicide.
Brian Atwood (R) poses for photographers with designer Kate Spade after
winning an award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards
in New York on June 2, 2003. REUTERS/Chip East
Sources with the New York Police Department confirmed to the Associated Press that a note was found in Spade’s Manhattan home were she reportedly hung herself with a scarf in her bedroom.
NYPD’s chief of detectives, Dermot Shea, would not reveal what was written on the note, only said that the note found pointed to “a tragic suicide.” However, several sources with the department claimed that it contained a message to her daughter, saying that “it was not her fault.”
In 1993, Spade started a small label called Kate Spade New York and opened up a shop in the city three years later, according to the company website. The company eventually opened 140 retail shops throughout the United States, with 175 stores worldwide.
“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,” a statement from Kate Spade New York read. “Kate will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time.”
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” a rep for the Spade 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.”