TOP DESIGNER FOUND DEAD AT HOME
FASHION designer Kate Spade has been found dead inside her Upper East Side apartment in New York at the age of 55.
Ms Spade, who built an empire on her famous handbags before branching out into other accessories, was reportedly found in her bedroom by a housekeeper about 11am (1am AEST).
Police said the death was not suspicious. Police said Ms Spade wrote a note, which sources claim was addressed to her daughter, Frances, 13.
The designer’s husband, Andy, was home when her body was discovered, according to an AP report. Frances was at school.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea answered questions about her death at an unrelated press conference.
“At this point, there was a note left. The contents 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,” he said.
In 1994 she started the fashion brand Kate Spade Handbags, which went on to become a global empire. It became one of the biggest names in female accessories.