Andy Spade is remembering his late wife, designer Kate Spade, with an emotional gesture.
Andy Spade is remembering his late wife, designer Kate Spade, with an emotional gesture.
In Andy's first Instagram post since Kate's death on June 5, which was ruled a suicide, he shared a picture of a tree wrapped in lights and explained the significance. Andy also talked about the Christmas tradition that he shared with Kate and their daughter, 13-year-old Bea.
"She was born Christmas Eve, 1962," Andy wrote. "She loved the Midwest, the desert, and the city. I was lucky enough to have dear friends let my daughter and stay at their home through a difficult time. This tree was standing alone beside the house so we ordered those multicolored, old fashioned lights from Amazon or Target and another dear personal friend gave me a really Iong extension cord and Bea and I cut a star out of the cardboard box the lights came on and wrapped it in Reynolds wrap (TM) like we do every Christmas."
Last month, 55-year-old Andy spoke out about Kate's suicide, one day after she was found dead inside her Manhattan apartment. The two were married for 24 years, but had been living separately for 10 months prior to her death.
"Kate was the most beautiful woman in the world," he told The New York Times in a statement. "She was the kindest person I’ve ever known and my best friend for 35 years. My daughter and I are devastated by her loss, and can’t even begin to fathom life without her. We are deeply heartbroken and miss her already."
He also acknowledged that the designer suffered from depression and anxiety for many years, but said she she appeared "happy" the night before her death.
"She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives," the statement continued. "We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy. There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock. And it clearly wasn’t her. There were personal demons she was battling."
"Bea was living with both of us and we saw each other or spoke every day," he added. "We ate many meals together as a family and continued to vacation together as a family. Our daughter was our priority. We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce. We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. We were together for 35 years. We loved each other very much and simply needed a break."
Last month, Andy's younger brother, comedian David Spade, also shared a heartfelt tribute to his sister-in-law. He later donated $100,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
"More people suffer from mental health issues than we may realize but no one should ever feel ashamed to reach out for support," David said to ET in a statement. "If you or anyone you know is in need of help or guidance please contact the national suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255 or go to nami.org to learn more and help those who may be in need."
For more on David's tribute to Kate, watch the video below:
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