Kate Spade Fashion Brand Releases Statement on Founder's Tragic Death

Famed handbag designer Kate Spade passed away on Tuesday (June 5) at the age of 55 in an apparent suicide, and her fashion brand has released a statement on the tragedy.

“Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed. Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly heartbreaking time. We honor all the beauty she brought into this world,” the statement from the brand read on their Twitter account.

Kate began Kate Spade Handbags in 1993 with Andy Spade, who she ended up marrying in 1994. She sold the company in 2007 and launched a new fashion brand in 2016 called Frances Valentine, named for her now 13-year-old daughter Frances Beatrix Spade.

Celebrities have been mourning the loss of Kate since the news broke hours ago.

Our continued thoughts are with Kate Spade‘s loved ones during this time.