Tuesday, June 05, 2018

Kate Spade Has Died



Kate Brosnahan Spade, the fashion designer and businesswoman, hanged herself with a scarf in an apparent suicide Tuesday at a New York City apartment, according to a New York Police Department source.

A suicide note was found, a second NYPD source said, adding that the call came in at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

76 comments:

Rosie riveter said...

Ugh. She had a kid. What an asshole thing to do to her child. Hopefully the poor girl will be okay. I suppose thats unlikely but anything can be possible

LuLu said...

she has a 13 yr old daughter

Brayson87 said...

All these celebrity suicides by hanging remind me of all the suspicious jail hangings throughout the years.

LuLu said...

what woman hangs herself?

PapayaSF said...

How strange. She sold her company for billions and was still young and healthy.

roque said...

Oh, no! Aw, Kate... Anyone know if there were financial issues with the company?

Cold in Ct said...

So awful. This hits hard. Depression is a disease of the mind.

roque said...

ETA- I had no idea she sold the main co ages ago. She had another though didn’t she?

Amy said...

Being that age she will deal with it worse then if she was very young. Worst age to go through a loss.

gfbcpa said...

First L'wren Scott and now Kate Spade.

Amy said...

Massive myth. Money doesn't cure depression.

JillS said...

She was ill; just because you can't see it doesn't make it any less real for the sufferer.

I've lucky never had any mental health issues and can't imagine how awful it must be for those that do.

Some compassion wouldn't go amiss instead of hurling insults about the deceased.

Unknown said...

That's how I'll be doing it when the time comes.

Ham Burglar said...

Most parents who commit suicide are convinced their child/ren will be better off without them. Being mentally ill or depressed prevents one from making rational decisions.

Colonel Blake said...

She launched a new line in 2016, named after her daughter. Which I will not replicate here out of respect that she's a minor and this isn't the time/place to do so.

Sara, Making It Work said...

Rest in peace.

JillS said...

+1

Snifter said...

Heartbreaking. She had such fanciful, colorful, fun designs, and yet was in such a dark place herself.

bdm said...

Depression is an illness, idiots. Money or having children doesn’t cure it. If you have it, you have to get help, which is a very hard thing to do when you are depressed. The continued stigma about depression by ignorant people is part of the reason people continue to hide their depression. This person may have been depressed from childhood, and may have been depressed her whole life. It may have been a long, grueling, journey that finally crushed her. She loved her daughter as much as she could, and using her daughter as an weapon against her is a very low thing to do,

If you are depressed, get help. It’s out there, and people love you and will help you.

Rosie riveter said...

Shut up, seriously.
Thanks for showing up to enlighten the savages, dumbass. I bet *NONE* of us here have ever dealt with depression or had loved ones who have. And even killed themselves.
How bout you stay in your lane?
If you do get out of it, take some time to fucking research what this does to a 13yr old child.
Seriously. Miss me with your shit

gauloise said...

Hers and L'Wrens deaths hopefully shine some much needed light on the fact that the fashion world is not all glamour, it is mostly fabrication.

fionafab said...

Suicide runs in families. Did anyone in HER family do this before her? I am not aware she sold her company. The news on Page 6 in the N Y Post of late has been she was having severe money problems with the brand. There are people who can only take the highs and cannot take the lows. I was just out in the hallway talking to a homeless man who comes into our bldg. to bathe in the janitor's room about just this subject. He refuses to get help of any kind. Surely she tried to get help. For a woman, a mother, to do this she had to be so consumed with demons she couldn't think straight. I hope everyone remembers her genius and vision. I did not see the L'Wren Scott suicide coming, but this one does not surprise me. So very sad for her family.

Ham Burglar said...

No one said her daughter won't be affected because she will. It is a devastating life event. Hopefully she will get professional help and have the support of many others in her life so she can properly process her mother's illness and motivations in order to find a way to heal. Maybe take a few deep breaths and try to let go of some of your animosity toward others who are trying to show compassion for someone who just died.

T. W. said...

How is a scarf strong enough for someone use to hang themselves with...

Teaching in the trenches said...

RIP
After listening to her BIL David Spade’s book “Almost Interesting”, I liked her.
I came away thinking what a nice, hardworking lady “Katie” was.

Tricia13 said...

Omg this is so sad. No clue about any of this but was just watching one of David’s movies yesterday and thinking how much I love him

Sd Auntie said...

breaks my heart especially for her daughter. Enjoyed her creativity and she will be missed. Never be to busy to speak to friends or loved ones because sometimes a caring soul will help.

Unknown said...

Partial suspension hanging. From a doorknob.

T. W. said...

@bdm

I want to add that ill people might want to stay off CDAN. There are bullies here and if you give an inch they will take a mile.

T. W. said...

@Jen S

If that is the case then the person strangled themselves to death.

If a noose is not properly tied then the poor person will die of strangulation instead of a broken neck.

T. W. said...

@Brayson87

One of the CDANers said Robin Williams died from masturhanging. After that comment was made the magazines have been running articles about Robin being depressed and that his Parkinson's diagnosis may have been incorrect.

fionafab said...

Reading about this in the newspapers and CDAN is one thing, but actually seeing them carrying her body from her apartment bldg. to an ambulance (just now) is a chilling reality.

T. W. said...

Was this intentional suicide? Some women used scarves to enhance their solo activities. The scarf could have got caught on something by accident. Isn't that how Maria Callas died? For all we know Spade was suicided.

Assuming this was intentional, Spade must have been extremely distraught. She was a fashion designer and would have known the scarf would have strangled her at best. Maybe she took a lethal dose of pills & used the scarf to ensure her death.

T. W. said...

Maybe Spade was terminally ill & couldn't or wouldn't find a physician to assist her suicide.

Cuddlebutt said...

@T.W. You are so correct. This is horribly sad. But I can't help but think of the mother in New York that was found hanged and abuse was flung but then they found the guy that murdered her. Footprint in the tub was the clue. Regardless the cause, a parent's death does leave the child with abandonment issues. I lived it.

tinydancer61 said...

A member of our family committed suicide by hanging. He couldn't shut off the demons of addiction and sadly, ultimately, addiction won. The only good part of this is that he is finally at peace. It's those who are left behind that are not. So many questions with no answers. So, yeah, there's a little of bit of anger for those who resort to this.

NancyFromNebraska said...

Welp. Moving on.

tinydancer61 said...

Twitter is saying that Kate Spade was heavily involved with the Clinton Foundation and was tied to their work in Haiti. Geezus....

Freckles said...

I agree @Lulu, women don't usually hang themselves. So sad for her daughter especially at 13. Godspeed Kate

pixiegothy said...

that's awful :( a lot of people die using a scarf while doing the choking game or auto erotic asphyxiation but if she left a note it was probably suicide, maybe triggered by financial problems or depression. I take zoloft since 1998 because of major depression disorder, only my mom exhusband and sister knows this, people are very judgemental and ignorant about mental illness so I hide my dirty little secret. If anyone feels suicidal, please get help, whenever I relapse I always post on reddit on SuicideWatch, talking to someone have saved my life many times. There is also a sub for people who lost a loved one to suicide called SuicideBereavement. RIP Kate
https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideBereavement/

Brayson87 said...

Jeezus autoerotic asphyxiation gets thrown around every time someone dies by hanging.

Schneiderisnext said...

Let's just say he was found naked, hanging in a bathroom.

What suicidal person would strip naked so their family would not only find them dead but nude?

Check out his last standup special. It has many winks and nods to child abuse in Hollywood and the Church.

Nummi said...

+1 Brayson. That and murder

I really feel for her family. Mental illness is a horrible thing when left unchecked. I agree that she may have felt that her daughter will be better off without her, although I'm sure she would rather have her mom.

Schneiderisnext said...

Given it was done with a scarf (a weak link if you're serious about killing yourself) @Brayson, the possibility can't be elimininated.

Also with many easier ways to kill yourself, some people can't fathom why you would hang yourself in the modern era.

Personally, given the circumstances, my brain goes to murder disguised as suicide. Of which hanging is a doable method for a wetworks team.

Brayson87 said...

Doable for anyone with some skill, sheesh it happens in jails and prisons.

LA said...

Are you serious? PLENTY. Do you think a shotgun blast to the face is more ladylike? STFU. Getting critical of a suicude is some deeply petty bullshit.

LA said...

This.

LA said...

THANK YOU @bdm

Weekittylass said...

When women commit suicide, they rarely mess with their face. This is how my brother-in-law killed himself. He turned into a nasty, abusive raging alcoholic. He went in the hall closet, put a belt around his neck, passed out and hung himself. It was strangulation. The coroner said it takes less than two minutes.

AgonyAunt said...

Wow. L'Wren Scott hung herself with a designer scarf too. Talk about copy-cat murders...er suicides. So...was Kate a pedo...or was she ratting on them? Cuz hanging by ones high-end scarf is a clear message to any industry insider who wants to come forward and give evidence in that big-ole RICO case gathering steam. Wasn't her daughter in a movie or two as well? Boy-howdy. Bet this sends shock-waves down the catwalks to all those other gals providing "information" to feds.

Sad tho'. Kate seemed like one of the good'uns. Nice aesthetic. Hard-working. But the industry she choose is totally beyond repair. And way past redemption. Too bad she didn't leave for good when she had the chance.

Rosie riveter said...

And no one said theres no compassion for a person who's suffering depression and feels that's the only way.
Theres compassion for sure.
I suppose some of us here know first hand what suicide by a close family member(parent) does to a child. And those people (or any others)dont like being called idiots and ignorant.
Especially when its true.
Suicide is a terrible legacy to leave your child.

Rosie riveter said...

And here I thought *I* was an asshole lol
Thanks for showing up @AgonyAunt

hhstarr said...

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/report-kate-spade-apos-suicide-193842869.html

hhstarr said...

Marital problems. Suicide note was to her daughter, blaming it on marital problems. Yeah, that will make poor Frances feel better. Sorry, I know depression but taking your life is so selfish as it only hurts the ones you love. Poor girl.

GingerGirl said...

I can’t believe how quickly the suicide note was leaked. What an awful thing for her daughter on top of losing her mother. What a sad end.

Jack Rabbit said...

She sold her Kate Spade name/company to another company long ago for about $95M, which was co-owned by her, her husband and another partner. Take for Spade? About $60M. They coasted on that to focus on raising the daughter, but obviously sold early, because the company that bought it turned around and sold it only months later for about $125M. Then about 10 years later, that company sold the brand for $2.4BILLION. Ooops.

She tried to start another line but it was floundering. Maybe that was part of the problem? I actually agree with those who say women do NOT hang themselves...it's too base, too scary. Women will tend to take a bottle-ful of pills if they want out. Yes, I would like to know her involvement in the Clinton Foundation and if she ran afoul of them. This feels like a murder posed to look like a suicide. We'll never know the truth...

Sympathies to her teen daughter regardless...what a terrible time to lose her mother.

Tricia13 said...

*1 billion.
Nice to see moral vacancy is alive and well here.... same zombies are the ones who cry for their best rights—-while grotesquely dishonoring basic humanity

Tricia13 said...

*basic rights*

VikingSong said...

Wow. There's a few on here who put the capital 'C' in cunt. It's certainly not compassion, that's for sure.

r_miller1313 said...

Robin Williams was found dead and hanging by a belt tied to the door's handle.

r_miller1313 said...

Sorry...meant to add that he was found in his bedroom.

They also found a pad of paper with a pen and a knife he had obviously used to cut himself with at some point.

Sd Auntie said...

No kidding @ Rosie. Horrid hag aunt is more like it.

WhydoIFindthisFun said...

Agree with some of you who are wondering if this was really suicide. Guess because (at my age of 53) it is hard to fathom why. Like most of us, have been around the bend in life, had really good and super-crappy things occur, tragedies, loss of very loved ones. But, surviving is the name of game, the goal, the fight to the end, not letting the source in life that wants you to lose, win. Would only do myself in, if someone else was trying to first and would not want to give them the pleasure. Loved her (and her husband's) designs, classic through and through. On a conspiracy note, McQueen 2010, L'ren 2014, Spade, 2018 all four years apart. Spade's numbers, 06-05-2018, is 11/11 or 11:11 or 1111.

Erin said...

I am a funeral director, and see first-hand the aftereffects of the ones left shell-shocked and consumed with immense grief over a suicide. The guilt that the loved ones will carry forever is heartbreaking. In the ten years I have been a director, I have only had one female (a beautiful, precious and bullied 13 year old girl) take her own life. The rest are men. My heart breaks for Kate feeling so hopeless, for her husband and daughter who will have to carry this hurt with them forever. Please - if anyone out here feels that suicide is the only choice, reach out - 1-800-784-2433 suicide hotline, a hospital, a house of worship - even here! As salty as we all can be here, I am certain that all of us would be there to help in a heartbeat.

Anonymous said...

@tinydancer61 Odd that so many connected to Haiti are committing suicide
@Schneiderisnext yup sounds fishy
So sad

Erin said...

Hanging is rather violent for a woman. Most women take pills and OD. Most men - shotguns, hand guns, noose - or CO2 poisoning. But who would want to murder her? She designed such classic, happy clothes, etc - I will miss her happy classics. Descanse en paz Kate.

Bubbles said...

So how does one hang themselves from a door knob. It seems hella low to get the job done.

And does anyone else find it strange that in her suicide note that she told her daughter that it wasn't her fault? Why would a kid think she was to blame for her mother's suicide? I mean, I know she's a teenager and all but their relationship hopefully wasn't that contentious.

Schneiderisnext said...

@brayson87

It happens in prison (mainly in men) because there aren't alternatives.

Rich people can afford something more noble than hanging themselves by their underwear.

You can also get murked in prison, and it's made to look like a hanging....

Aaron Schwartz for example

pixiegothy said...

@Bubbles "Short drop/suspension hanging achieves death by cutting off the oxygen supply to the brain and body (asphyxiation) and/or the compression of the arteries (carotid and vertebral) and veins (jugular) in the neck. It requires little or no drop, as death is achieved simply by constriction of the trachea and/or the blood vessels. "

http://lostallhope.com/suicide-methods/hanging/short-drop/simple-suspension

GingerGirl said...

https://pagesix.com/2018/06/05/sister-says-kate-spade-suffered-from-depression-for-years/

How awful. Surprised that the sister was so cavalier about it.

Unknown said...

LA, who would use a shotgun to the face when a handgun would be a lot easier and more efficient?. Seriously though, women are most likely to kill themselves with pills or slitting wrists, so questioning the choice of a woman to hang herself seems reasonable.

fionafab said...

Thank you, Erin. A much needed and appreciated post. The fact that her husband was in the other room when she did this brings chills to my spine! The N Y Post says there were marital & financial problems. Did he tell her over breakfast he had found someone else and was leaving her? Something went down yesterday morning or the night before that drove her over the edge. The Brosnahan family are from Kerry, Ireland. She really looked so Irish. Freckles and all. I am numb. Cannot imagine the grief her family & friends are going through right now. Prayers and a lit candle at St. Patrick's on Tuesday morning.

fionafab said...

Wed. 9:30 am

The N Y Post says they were wrong when they posted yesterday the husband was in the next room when she died. They had separated and he was living up the street in another apt. I was right when I wrote yesterday he maybe was leaving her. And now the tsunami of depression stories from her family and her refusal to get help. Been there. We all have friends/family who refuse to get the mental health treatment they desperately need. I walked away from a 20 year friendship last year because of this. I miss her terribly but she was so toxic I couldn't be comfortable being around her in public. She would be fine one minute and be throwing bread sticks at someone at the next table the next. I remember saying to her, "This is Little Italy, Ruth! You don't know WHO these women are married to!" Never saw her again.

Anonymous said...

I also had a close family member commit suicide completely out of the blue by hanging. While his girlfriend was in the next room. It is the most devastating loss I have ever experienced, and I agree, as someone who has "survived" another's suicide, I recognize that she must have been in immense pain and suffering from mental illness, but it is hard not to feel anger that a person would cause this much pain and suffering to those who love them most. My heart breaks for her poor daughter.

Anonymous said...



People have a right to leave this dimension, when they want to. I feel no anger about it.
Is it really that different from a heavy drinker or drug addict, who kills themselves slowly? But, that is 'socially acceptable'.
I've dealt with three suicides in my immediate family.


Dartmouth GIRL said...

Kate was a brilliant talented woman who I had the pleasure to meet. She has given the fashion world a tremendous legacy. Please respect a dear soul and refrain from negative comments. Our thoughts are with Bea.

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