Designer Kate Spade found dead

NEW YORK» Kate Spade, a fashion designer known for her sleek handbags, was found dead in her Park Avenue apartment Tuesday in an apparent suicide, police said. She was 55.

News of her death shocked the fashion world and led to an outpouring of tributes from her legions of fans.

A housekeeper discovered Spade’s body hanging in her bedroom, police said. While investigators were still in the early stages of their inquiry, the department’s chief of detectives, Dermot Shea, said evidence including a note pointed to “a tragic suicide.”

Shea wouldn’t discuss what was in the note, but law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that, among other things, it contained a message to Spade’s 13-year-old daughter, saying it was not her fault. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” Spade’s family said in a statement through a spokesman. “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.”

The body was found not long after 10 a.m., police said. Her husband and business partner Andy Spade was in the apartment at the time. The couple’s daughter was at school

It’s not clear how long she had been dead. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy.

A crime scene truck was parked outside Spade’s building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and barriers had been set up to keep back reporters and gawkers who were arriving to the building.

The company she founded and later sold, Kate Spade New York, now has over 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the U.S. and more than 175 shops internationally.

Julia Curry, a spokeswoman for the company, said that “Kate will be dearly missed” and “our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time.”

Neva Hall, executive vice president at Neiman Marcus Stores, said the news was devastating.

“Her creative light and bright mind will be greatly missed,” Hall wrote in a statement.