Kate Spade's family is disgusted by 'estranged' sister Reta Saffo's comments on designer's death
Kate Spade's family said they are disgusted and saddened by Kate's older sister Reta Saffo Brosnahan's comments on the designer's death. The designer was found dead on Tuesday, June 5 at her apartment in Manhattan where she had hanged herself in the bedroom.
A source close to the family told The People that the family "is disgusted and saddened that Kate's sister would make such comments at this time of great sorrow." The source further revealed that Saffo has been estranged from the entire family for more than 10 years and "her statements paint a picture of someone who didn't know her at all."
Kate's sister had emailed The Kansas City Star about Kate's misspelled name. When The Star asked Saffo for a more detailed discussion over Kate's death, she responded by rejecting the idea of taking a call since she has been on a sedative.
She, however, continued, "I will say this was not unexpected by me. I'd flown out to Napa and NYC several times in the past three to four years to help her to get the treatment she needed (inpatient hospitalization). She was always a very excitable little girl and I felt all the stress/pressure of her brand (KS) may have flipped the switch where she eventually became full-on manic depressive."
In an interview with The Sun, she confessed that she wished she had worried less. "I really wish I worried less... I worried throughout the company [Kate Spade Handbags] and I still do." She said that she wished to be remembered not as a "good businesswoman but a great friend... And a heck of a lot of fun."
Saffo revealed that Kate suffered from bipolar disorder, in her statement on Tuesday. She, however, said, "My little sister Katy was a precious, precious little person. Genuine in almost every way."
A day after Kate's death, her husband Andy Spade addressed his wife’s depression and treatment, the status of their marriage, and their lives as long-time collaborators in a statement.
"Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives," Andy said in the statement.
He also addressed the status of their relationship saying, "For the past 10 months we had been living separately, but within a few blocks of each other. 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."