Fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead at her New York apartment on Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENTFashion designer Kate Spade was found dead at her New York apartment on Tuesday morning. She was 55.
A senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed Spade was found by a staff member shortly after 10am.
Her death is being treated as suicide, four senior law enforcement officials told NBC.
She was known for co-founding American fashion company Kate Spade New York, whose range includes handbags, clothing and jewellery.
"Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed," the fashion branded posted on social media.
"We honor all the beauty she brought into this world," the statement also said.
The designer launched her eponymous company in 1993 and it opened its first shop in New York City three years later. Spade sold the company in 2006.
Spade launched a new fashion brand, Frances Valentine, in 2016.
Tributes for the designers have been pouring in on social media.