Kate Spade was found dead in her New York apartment on June 5, 2018. While the news of the designer's suicide shocked her fans internationally, those close to Spade revealed that she had been struggling with depression for many years.

In a letter to The Kansas City Star, Spade's older sister, Reta Saffo, explained that she had tried to help the designer a number of times, and that she seemed to fixate on Robin Williams's suicide in 2014.

Saffo explained that she was with Spade in a hotel room in New Mexico when they saw television reports of Williams's death. "We were freaked out/saddened," Saffo said, "but she kept watching it and watching it over and over. I think the plan was already in motion even as far back as then."

Williams was found dead in his home in Tiburon, CA. Investigators revealed that it was suspected to be a suicide by hanging, similar to that of Spade's death.