Sources: Designer Kate Spade Found Dead In Manhattan Apartment In Apparent Suicide

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Designer Kate Spade was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday following an apparent suicide, sources tell CBS2.

Kate Brosnahan, 55, was found by her housekeeper at 10:20 a.m. at her home at 850 Park Ave. Brosnahan achieved fame in the fashion world under the name Kate Spade.

She left a note, sources said.

Just last year, Coach bought the Kate Spade company in a $2.4 billion deal.

Her handbags created a huge sensation in the fashion industry in the 1990s, and her company, Kate Spade New York, had over 140 retails shops across the country and 175 internationally.

She was born in Kansas City in 1962 and went to Arizona State University where she met Andy Spade, who she eventually went into business with, forming the company Kate Spade New York in the early 1990s.

Brosnahan and Spade started the company after she worked at the magazine Mademoiselle. It eventually grew into a global lifestyle brand.

Check back soon for more on this developing story. 

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)