Fashion designer found dead at home, age 55

The fashion world has been left reeling as it has been announced that fashion designer Kate Spade, age 55, was found dead at her home this morning.

undefinedwho has over 140 retail stores across America alone was found dead at her New York apartment on Tuesday morning.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kate died from an apparent suicide. Officials say that she was found by her housekeeping staff at around 10:30am.

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Sources say that the designer did leave a note at the scene but officials are not able to divulge any more information at this time because it is an ongoing investigation.

Suicide not a surprise according to family

According to her family, Kate Spade's suicide was 'not unexpected' as she reportedly struggled for years with manic depressive disorder but was too scared to seek help in case it hurt her brand.

Kate reportedly hung herself with a scarf in her Park Avenue home on Tuesday morning, leaving a heartbreaking suicide note addressed to her teenage daughter, Bea, which read, 'I have always loved you'.

The designer's older sister Reta Saffo has opened up about her sister's battle with mental illness and how she became fixated onthe tragic suicide of comedic actor Robin Williams 2014.

'Sometimes you simply cannot SAVE people from themselves!' Saffo, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, told The Kansas City Star

Saffo, 57, said she and Kate's husband Andy Spade had urged her on multiple occasions to go for treatment, including to the same treatment program where Catherine Zeta-Jones went for her successful bipolar treatment, but she'd always 'chickened out' at the last moment.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Saffo said, 'My little sister Katy was a precious, precious little person. 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.

One of the last things she said to me was, 'Reta, I know you hate funerals and don't attend them, but for me would you PLEASE come to MINE, at least. Please!' I know she perhaps had a plan, but she insisted she did not.'

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Spade's family said: 'We are all devastated by today's tragedy. We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.'

Our thoughts and prayers are with Kate's family at this difficult time.