Following the news that famed fashion designer Kate Spade died of apparent suicide, stars from the fashion and entertainment worlds have expressed their sadness on social media.
Spade was found in her New York City apartment on Tuesday and was pronounced dead on the scene. The designer started her handbag company in 1994 with husband Andy Spade (brother of actor David Spade), and created a brand that extended to clothing, jewelry, shoes, stationary, eyewear, and bedding, among other items. Kate Spade New York currently has over 140 retail shops and outlets across the country and more than 175 stores internationally.
Actresses Lena Dunham and Beth Behrs were among the first to express their condolences, with Dunham tweeting, “Kate Spade was more than a designer. She had a quirky visual language that captivated Bat Mitzvah girls and artists alike. She was also a staple of NYC who spread good will.”
Behrs spoke about what Spade had meant to her personally, remembering the first Kate Spade bag she had gotten in high school. “It was my most prized possession,” she wrote. “My current wallet, covered in bees, makes me smile every time I see it- it’s by Kate Spade. My heart is just broken for her family and loved ones.”
David Spade wrote about his sister-in-law later in the day, saying in an Instagram post, “She was so sharp and quick on her feet. She could make me laugh so hard. I still cant believe it.”
Mindy Kaling posted, “I have worn her clothes many, many times. They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them. You couldn’t walk into her boutiques and not smile. Rest In Peace, Kate.”
Reese Witherspoon also wrote, “My heart and prayers go out to Kate Spade and her family. What a wonderful, talented woman who will be dearly missed.”
Singer Josh Groban sent “love to her family” and said that “depression does not discriminate and comes without warning,” while tweeting the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Lucy Hale added that mental illness “can happen to anyone with any circumstances. I hope she has found peace.”
Chelsea Clinton tweeted about when her “grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart.” Ivanka Trump wrote the designer’s “tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain or the burden they carry.”
Fellow designer Kenneth Cole praised Spade’s career, tweeting (but later deleting), “‘I believed that I could, so I did.’ She alone didn’t change the handbag world but she was an inspiring accessory.”
Spade’s niece, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan, posted a tribute on Instagram. She wrote, “Knowing Katy, this is how she would want to be remembered. She had a light that words can’t capture but touched everyone she came into contact with. She was exceedingly kind, beautifully sensitive, insanely talented, funny as heck and one of the most generous people I have ever known. She was effervescent. Hug your loved ones extra tight today.”
More tweets below:
