Kate Spade’s Dad Dies Before His Famous Daughter’s Funeral
Kate Spade’s family has been hit by tragedy once again. TMZ reports that the famous handbag designer’s father, Earl F. Brosnahan, died one day before her funeral on Thursday. He was 89-years-old.
Brosnahan, a U.S. Navy veteran had been in poor health for some time, a statement from the family revealed. He was also “heartbroken” over Kate’s death, according to the statement.
TMZ reports that Kate Spade’s father had been concerned about his daughter’s use of prescription drugs and asked her not to use them. He also reportedly spoke to his daughter the night before her suicide.
A previous article on TMZ reported that a variety of anxiety meds were found by authorities in Kate Spade’s Park Avenue home after her death. They did not confirm whether Kate took any of these pills to commit suicide. Police did not find any illegal drugs in her home, however.
As Bloomberg reports, the medical examiner confirmed that Kate’s death was caused by suicide by hanging, two days after her body was discovered. Her husband and the co-founder of her eponymous brand, Andy Spade, has said that Kate was dealing with depression during the time leading up to her suicide. In a statement released after his wife’s death, Andy disclosed that Kate had been seeing a doctor for her mental health challenges as well.
He added that they spoke to each other the night before her death and that she sounded “happy” to him.
Kate Spade New York recently announced via Instagram that it will donate over $1 million to mental health awareness causes. They also said that they would match their followers’ donations as well.
“In honor of our company founder, Kate Spade, we’re donating to mental health awareness causes. We’ll match your donations, too,” the brand said. They also announced that the first $250,000 donation will go to the Crisis Text Line, a non-profit organization that provides suicide intervention via text messages. The free service connects texters to crisis counselors who can guide them through the experience and lead them to a positive outcome. Kate Spade NY will match donations to the organization from June 20 through June 29, 2018.
Kate Spade and her husband founded her groundbreaking fashion company in 1993. She sold her shares in the company in 2006 and later started a new fashion brand called Frances Valentine in 2015, Cosmopolitan reports.
Kate’s funeral was scheduled for Thursday, June 21, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was 55-years-old at the time of her death.
Just hours before his daughter's funeral, Kate Spade's father passed away from heartbreak. https://t.co/nMeoUJ0dXv pic.twitter.com/gSM3w2GOXs
— E! News (@enews) June 21, 2018
