NEW YORK _ Iconic designer Kate Spade hanged herself with a scarf in the bedroom of her New York City home _ and left a note telling her daughter it wasn't her fault, sources said.
A housekeeper found the body of the 55-year-old fashion designer inside her Upper East Side apartment about 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
Andy Spade, her husband, was home at the time. But the couple's 13-year-old daughter was at school, sources said.
Kate Spade was upset over "problems at home," said a source. The source did not elaborate.
Spade was a 30-year-old former magazine editor in 1993 when she launched a line of sleek handbags that grew into a $2.4 billion global giant.
"We are all devastated by today's tragedy," her family said in a statement. "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."
Spade's shocking death left some of her devoted customers sobbing in the streets.
"Every girl in the world knows of Kate Spade," said Atlanta tourist Carter Boughner, 42, tears rolling down her face after she learned the news while walking by Spade's apartment on Park Avenue.
"Why would (she) do that?"
Shelley Bitt, who used to work retail for Kate Spade New York in California before moving to the Upper East Side, said she saw the famed designer walking down the street just a few days ago.
"It's so sad," said Bitt, 21. "I was just a really big fan of her brand. I knew her by the brand. When I moved here, I definitely knew her face."
Spade's official cause of death was pending the outcome of an autopsy. But police officials said the totality of the evidence left little doubt that Spade took her own life.
"There was a note left and the contents of the note, physical state of the apartment and statement of the witnesses lead us to believe it was an apparent suicide," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.
Kate Spade New York released a statement lamenting the "incredibly sad news."
"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," it said. "Kate will be dearly missed."
Born Katherine Brosnahan in Kansas City, Mo., in December 1962, Spade attended an all-girls Catholic high school. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in journalism in 1985.
Eight years later, after a stint as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine, she launched Kate Spade. Her partner on the new line of handbags was her soon-to-be husband, Andy Spade, the brother of comedian David Spade.
The company, in those early days, showed little signs of the global success story it would become.
"We were still not making any money," Spade recalled of the early years during an interview for NPR's "How I Built This" podcast in February 2016.
"Nobody was making a salary," she added. "I just remember thinking, 'I think we need to shut it down.'"
But her handbags, with their modern look and bright pops of color, went on to attract legions of loyal buyers. Soon Kate Spade bags were lining the shelves at such high fashion meccas as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys.
In 1996, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Spade with a prestigious award _ "America's New Fashion Talent in Accessories."
The brand took off, with Kate Spade soon becoming a household name synonymous with affordable luxury.
Spade parlayed her fame into three successful books: "Manners," "Occasions" and "Style."
She sold the company for $125 million in 2007 to focus on the couple's daughter, Frances, who was born in February 2005. Coach snapped up the brand for $2.4 billion 10 years later.
Spade returned to the fashion world in 2016 when she launched the Frances Valentine line of luxury footwear and handbags.
In a 2016 interview, she said the decision to start the new brand was in part motivated by a desire to set an example for her daughter.
"I think what's nice is that she gets to see both the stay-at-home mom and the working mom and know there is an option," Spade told the Kansas City Star.
"One is not better than the other. It's my choice and that's amazing. And even though we're launching the new brand, she is my priority. And I'm still making time for class mom duty."
