How Kate Spade and David Spade Were Related

Handbag queen Kate Spade passed away of an apparent suicide on Tuesday, leaving some wondering how she was related to actor David Spade.

Spade was David’s sister-in-law. The comedian’s brother, Andy Spade, married Spade in 1994. David is generally active on social media, but he did not immediately respond to Spade’s passing on Tuesday morning. At the time of this writing, his last post is from Sunday.

David has spoken about Spade several times in interviews and other public forums. In 2015, he gave an interview with Esquire Magazine where he talked at length about his family while promoting his memoir, Almost Interesting. He recalled how Spade had adorned his father in fine clothes while he was sick at the nursing home.

“He’s in a nursing home now, and I said, ‘I don’t know if that’s a great idea to meet my daughter.’ It makes me feel bad in one respect, but there has to be some penalty,” he said at the time. “He’s had a great life. I bought him a condo, I got him a car, he gets Kate Spade stuff from Andy, he used to get whatever he wanted.”

“He’s been covered. He’s had girlfriends, he’s been proposed to, and he’s got a great life. But at some point, I had to say that there has to be a negative to it all, and this is probably it,” David added.

Spade was reportedly found dead in her home on Park Avenue in New York City at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday. She was discovered by her housekeeper. Some reports claim that she hanged herself, though authorities have yet to confirm any details. However, they did verify that she had left a suicide note.

Spade was just 55 years old. Born with the maiden name Brosnahan, she became an icon in the fashion world, particularly for her handbags. Starting in 1993, her company, Kate Spade New York, was an institution in high-end accessories.

Spade met Andy during their years at Arizona State University, according to a report by CBS New York. They worked closely together on her company over the years. Andy helped her launch her own company after Spade had worked at the magazine Mademoiselle for a time. They grew to a level of global influence.

Her passing struck a chord on social media, where people stopped to reflect on the struggle for mental health. Many users began to spread the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, which is 1-800-273-8255.