Well known fashion designer Kate Spade, one of America’s most admired fashion icons, has been found dead in her New York apartment. According to reports, police suspect it to be a case of suicide. She was 55.

Kate was found dead in her Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan at 10:20 local time (7.30 pm in India) by her housekeeper on Tuesday, a BBC report said quoting a law enforcement official.

Best known for her accessory line, Kate Spade also designed clothes, shoes, and jewellery. Spade, who was born Katherine Brosnahan, was also a former editor of fashion magazine Mademoiselle.

Kate Spade
A city worker enters a building to retrieve the body of fashion designer Kate Spade who was found dead in her apartment on June 5, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

 

According to a report in Independent, the police confirmed that Spade had been found unresponsive at her Park Avenue home. Reports said the housekeeper who found her alerted the police.

A note is said to have been found at the scene.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered a 55-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive,” the New York Police Department said in a statement, adding that she was pronounced dead at 10.26 am.

“The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and the investigation is ongoing,” said the statement.

Spade, who sold her company last year to Coach for $2.4bn, had more than 140 retail shops in the US and 175 around the world at one point of time.

Her  line of iconic handbags had created a sensation in the fashion world. Kate Spade was said to be worth $200m.

Hearing the news of her death, fans and members of the industry posted tributes on social media.

Taking to Twitter, Ivanka Trump posted: “Kate Spade’s tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain or the burden they carry. If you are struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, please, please seek help.”

The Times reported Spade’s husband Andy Spade was at the scene, though the whereabouts of her 13-year-old daughter was not known till last reports came in.