Law enforcement officials say New York fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment in an apparent suicide. The officials said she was found hanging by housekeeping staff inside her Park Avenue apartment at about 10:20 am on Tuesday. Kate left a note at the scene although officials were not authorised to divulge details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The details of the note were not revealed.

The 55-year-old Spade created a line of sleek handbags in the early 1990s that created a smash. Her company, Kate Spade New York has over 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the US and more than 175 shops internationally.

Spade was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and after rolling out her own line of handbags she scaled her business to both jewellery and clothing. She went on to sell her business in 2006. The designer was married to her husband Andy for two decades. The couple has a 13-year-old daughter Francis Beatrix Spade. Last year, Coach, now known as Tapestry, bought the Kate Spade in brand in a 2.4-billion-dollar deal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2018 10:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).