New York fashion designer Kate Spade has been found dead in her apartment in an apparent suicide, law enforcement officials said.
She was found by housekeeping staff inside her Park Avenue apartment at about 10.20am local time on Tuesday, the officials said.
The 55-year-old created a line of sleek handbags in the early 1990s that were a big hit.
Her company, Kate Spade New York, has more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the US and more than 175 shops internationally.