The love thatKate Spadehad for her daughter was clear to those that knew the late fashion mogul.
“She was a beautiful person. I saw her all the time. I saw her a lot with her daughter, you could tell she cared about her a lot,” a resident in Spade’s New York apartment building told PEOPLE on Wednesday of the handbag designer’s relationship with her daughter, 13-year-oldFrances.
“She loved her daughter and she always looked happy,” the resident added.
Spade, 55, was found in her bedroom at her Manhattan residence around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, according to N.Y.C. police sources. Her housekeeper, who had arrived for the day, discovered her body. Officials said Spade was unresponsive from an apparent suicide, and she was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene. A police source confirmed to PEOPLE that Spade was alone in her New York City apartment when she died.
Spade was “the most wonderful person,” a longtime neighbor said.
According to a source who frequently saw Spade, the mother of one didn’t appear to be depressed in the days leading up to her death.
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Spade’s suicide this weekrattled the fashion worldwhere she made her name,largely on her eponymous handbags— the cornerstone of an accessories business that eventually grew to billion-dollar prominence.
Since the designer’s death, much attention has been paid to the problemsshe may have been facingaway from the spotlight, including with her husbandAndy.
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A source close to her family —while challenging an interview with her older sisterclaiming she had grappled with mental illness — described Spade as “kind, generous, funny, warm and [an] extremely private person.”
In a statement of their own,Spade’s family said, in part: “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.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
source: people.com
