As news of Kate Spade’s death spread, the world’s media descended on her apartment building in New York City. The famed handbag designer was found dead inside of her home on June 5. She was 55 years old. Spade is survived by her husband, Andy Spade, and their daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade, who was born in 2005. CBS New York was the first to report that Spade had taken her own life after hanging herself with a red scarf from a doorknob in one of the bedrooms of their home. A note was left behind, New York One reports that the note included a message to her daughter which said something to the effect of, “It’s not your fault.” The New York Post that Spade was thought to have committed suicide over problems in her relationship. A source told the tabloid, “It was over family problems… in her relationship.”
Spade lived with her family at 850 Park Avenue in New York City. If you, or anyone you know, is having suicidal thoughts please call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number on 1-800-273-8255 or go to their website here.
Here are the images from her apartment building on the day of Spade’s death:
According to StreetEasy, there are 51 units across 12 floors in Spade’s building. The building was built in 1924. It was designed by Rouse & Goldstone. The only apartment listed for sale in the building at the time of writing is 4A which is a three bedroom, three bathroom, that is asking for $3.2 million. The home boasts, “gorgeous herringbone floors, very high ceilings, molding details, light flooded east exposure onto Park Avenue as well as south and west exposures and closets galore.”
The New York Post quotes a police source saying that Spade’s suicide is eerily similar to L’wren Scott’s death. The former girlfriend of Mick Jagger killed herself by hanging from a bedroom doorknob in New York City. The police source told the Post, “Weird this is the same way L’wren Scott killed herself. Wonder if it was intentionally done that way.”
In September 2016, Spade showed off her apartment for a video feature with People Magazine:
People wrote that Spade’s home was “bold, bright, fun and art-driven.” Spade told the magazine about her vast art collection saying, “It was actually one of the reasons I bought the apartment because I love the fact that you had some breathing space when you walked in the room. And we decided to fill it, obviously, with a lot of art. It’s very much like our design, it’s very much like how I dress.”
Spade added her daughter’s artwork was prominent in their home. Spade said, “I feel like she deserves as much credit in this room so I want her work to feel as important.” The other artwork featured is her husband’s favorite African artwork and some cigarette boxes that were inspired by Spade’s mother. Spade said of the boxes, “We don’t use them. I just think they look pretty. I love this room. I just feel like it’s open, it doesn’t feel like this uptight stuffy living room that so many people never use. We really live in here.”