Sources Say Kate Spade's Marital Woes Weighed on Her

In the wake of Kate Spade's suicide come more tributes, questions, and a search for answers. Multiple outlets are reporting by way of sources that Spade had been despondent over the demise of her marriage. TMZ reports Kate and Andy Spade had been separated for a couple months, with her husband of 24 years having moved to his own apartment. TMZ's law enforcement sources say he was in his new apartment when Kate hanged herself with a scarf. (Update: Andy Spade on Wednesday released a statement addressing Kate's "demons" and the misreporting that has occurred. Read our story on it here.)

• As previously reported, Kate is said to have left a note for her teen daughter Frances Beatrix, and the New York Post's sources say it read in part, "This has nothing to do with you. Don't feel guilty. Ask your dad."

• Though Kate's family has reportedly distanced itself from remarks made by her sister, Reta Saffo also sent a statement to CBS2 that suggested the "YES people" in her life kept Kate from getting "the proper care for what I believe to be (and tried numerous times to get help for) Bipolar disorder ... stemming from her immense celebrity."
• The HuffPost calls out photos brother-in-law David Spade posted to Twitter and Instagram of him with Kate, both accompanied by loving words and both ending, "Its [sic] a rough world out there people. Try to hang on."
• Having sold her eponymous brand in 2006 (she was born Katherine Brosnahan, and gave her handbag line her first name and then-boyfriend Spade's last upon launching in 1993), she returned to the world of fashion in 2015 with the label Frances Valentine. She also legally changed her name, telling NPR earlier this year it was officially "Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan Spade."
• At Refinery29, Connie Wang has this to say about the new name and label: "But Frances Valentine never won even a sliver of the customers or acclaim that her first line received, even though its merits were largely the same (it was modern, minimal, colorful, whimsical). Without the Kate Spade moniker, Kate Valentine and Frances Valentine always seemed like an imposter, even though it was the real-deal."
• Still, the New York Post reports that in the wake of her death, many of the items for sale on francesvalentine.com are sold out.

(More Kate Spade stories.)