Kate Spade found dead

By Meg Wagner

Updated 8:19 a.m. ET, June 6, 2018
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5:08 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Kate Spade's suicide note addressed her daughter

From CNN’s Brynn Gingras

Kate Spade addressed her daughter in her suicide note, according to two NYPD sources.

4:29 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Women are sharing the stories of their first and their favorite Kate Spade bags

Women are posting photos of their Kate Spade bags — and sharing the stories behind them — to pay tribute to the designer.

A lawyer shared a photo of the bag she splurged on as a young professional, and a romance writer snapped a photo with her "therapy bag," nicknamed because people smile when they see it.

Here's a look at some of the posts:

"I hope she knows how happy she made complete strangers."

"Thanking her for the comfort and joy she's provided me."

"It takes a beautiful mind to design beautiful things."

3:40 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Jenna Bush Hagar: Kate Spade was "a trailblazer"

Jenna Bush Hager, one of former President George W. Bush's daughters, tweeted support to Kate Spade's family and remembered the first Kate Spade bag she owned.

"She was a trailblazer, Her life and death are a reminder that pain doesn't discriminate," she tweeted

Here's the full tweet:

2:56 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

NYPD won't comment on content of suicide note

 

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea gave more details today about Kate Spade's death, calling it a "tragic case of apparent suicide."

He added that there was a note left at the scene.

Here's a summary of what Shea said:

  • “At about 1010 hours this morning in the confines of the 19th precinct, members of the 19th precinct responded to an address on Park Avenue. It appears to be, at this time, a tragic case of apparent suicide, but it is early in the investigation. There was a suicide note left at the scene. I’m not going to get into the contents of that note, but that appears to be the sum total of what it is at this point. We still have detectives on the scene, it’s still a fairly fresh incident.”
  • “She was discovered by the housekeeper”
  • “At this point, there was a note left. The content of that note, as well as the physical state of the apartment and the comments of the witness, lend to the credibility that it is an apparent suicide, but we’ll go from here and continue to look into the incident. In terms of contents of the note or communication with some members of the family, I’m not going to get into that.”
2:35 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Former fashion editor: Kate Spade, the brand, reflected Kate Spade, the person

Cindi Leive, former editor in chief of Glamour magazine, said she was inspired by Kate Spade, who also once worked in the fashion magazine industry.

Spade quit her job as an accessories editor for Mademoiselle to begin her fashion empire.

“I was so inspired by the fact that when she was working as an editor, she felt she couldn’t find the bags exactly right for her, so she had the gumption and the daring to quit her job and decide to make bags and an entire, eventually, lifestyle brand that just reflected her."

Spade's designs where a true reflection of her personality, Leive said.

"You shopped in her stores and bought those bags, and you absorbed the colors and the light, you really felt like you are getting to know her as a person. And when you met her, she was that brand."

Watch more:

2:16 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Fashion designers remember Kate Spade

Fashion designers are mourning the death of Kate Spade on Twitter — and celebrating her "most iconic brand."

2:16 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

"Be kind to people today, even those you think have it all"

Actors, writers, politicians and other celebrities are posting Twitter tribunes to Kate Spade.

Several of the messages include mental health resources: Sharing links to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and other resources has become a growing social media movement since news of the designer's death broke.

2:12 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

The company Kate Spade started releases first statement

From CNN’s Carolyn Sung

The company Kate and Andy Spade founded just released a statement about the designer's suicide: 

“We at Kate Spade New York just learned of the incredibly sad news that Kate Spade has passed. 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. Kate will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time.”

The company also sent out a tweet:

 

1:30 p.m. ET, June 5, 2018

Ivanka Trump: Kate Spade is "a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain"

Ivanka Trump just tweeted out information to a suicide hotline in the wake of Kate Spade's death. This has been a growing social media trend since the news broke of the designer's suicide.