Andy Spade, the husband of tragic fashion designer Kate Spade, emerged from his Manhattan apartment wearing a bizarre mouse mask after her death.
It’s not clear why Spade, the brother of actor and comedian David Spade, was wearing the mouse mask, other than to avoid the scrutiny of photographers striving for photos of his emotional state after the shock death of his estranged wife, Kate, by suicide.
Page Six reported that Spade was wearing the mouse mask when he left his Park Avenue apartment on the morning of June 7, 2018. According to Page Six, the mask is that of Bernard, “voiced by Bob Newhart in the 1977 cartoon movie, ‘The Rescuers.'” Andy Spade didn’t answer photographers’ questions. Instead, he snapped at them, “Do you know the meaning of privacy?”
Some observers found the disguise… bizarre.
Andy’s appearance comes just two days after his wife took her own life in their apartment. According to TMZ, she left behind a suicide note for their 13-year-old daughter that read, “Bea – I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy.” She hanged herself in her apartment with a scarf.
Who is Andy Spade? Here’s what you need to know:
Kate Spade Met Her Husband, Andy Spade, in College
Kate and Andy Spade had been married since 2004, although they were living apart in the months before her suicide. According to TMZ, “She and Andy met while attending Arizona State University and working at a clothing store. Together, they launched Kate Spade Handbags in 1993,” and the company soon expanded into other areas, like stationary and eyewear. Eventually, it became a fashion powerhouse and Kate’s name became well-known.
Page Six is reporting that Kate Spade was agonized in the end over relationship problems. TMZ alleges that Andy Spade had told Kate he wanted a divorce and moved to an apartment, but she didn’t want the divorce. Furthermore, one of her sisters opened up about her bipolar disorder, saying that Kate refused to get help for her mental health issues because she didn’t want to harm her brand.
“My little sister Katy was a precious, precious little person,” Reta Saffo told DailyMail.com. “Genuine in almost every way. Just dear – but she was surrounded by YES people, for far too long, therefore she did not receive the proper care for what I believed to be (and tried numerous times to get her help for) bipolar disorder… stemming from her immense celebrity.” The sister also said that Kate seemed fixated on Robin Williams’ death by suicide.
In a statement he gave to The New York Times, Andy Spade revealed the couple was living separately and said Kate had sought help for depression and anxiety. “We are deeply heartbroken and miss her already,” he wrote of himself and the couple’s daughter Bea.
In Arizona, Kate once worked in a motorcyle bar that Andy Spade frequented, according to The New York Times. Even then, her individualistic fashion sense caught his attention. “You’d walk in, and she was the only one in the pink crew-neck sweater,” Andy told the newspaper, which describes how integrally involved he was in the couple’s new handbag venture that bore his wife’s name, even draining his 401K account to buy fabric in the early days. There were so many boxes in their apartment that they had to stay with friends, The Times recounted.
“So, Andy and I were out, honestly, at a Mexican restaurant,” Kate Spade said of the moment the idea hatched for the brand, “and he just said, what about handbags? And I said, honey, you just don’t start a handbag company. And he said, why not? How hard can it be? I thought, OK, really? He regrets those words.”
Designers Andy Spade and Kate Spade attend the 2010 Whitney Gala and Studio Party at The Whitney Museum of American Art on October 26, 2010 in New York City.
Both Spades sold their stake in the Kate Spade company in 2006. They “launched a new venture, selling handbags and shoes, called Frances Valentine in 2016,” Newsweek reports.
The famous “Kate Spade” brand name actually originally was supposed to be a combination of Kate and Andy’s names because she was still using her maiden name when they created the company.
The New York Times reports that Kate Spade’s husband was at the scene when the housekeeper called 911 to report Kate’s suicide. Andy Spade once worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency when the couple got their start.