Was Kate Spade Inspired to Kill Herself by the Death of Robin Williams?
Fashion designer Kate Spade was said to be obsessed with the suicide of actor Robin Williams.
Following his death in 2014, Spade repeatedly watched news reports of the "Mrs. Doubtfire" star's death, her older sister, Reta Saffo, told the Kansas City Star.
“She kept watching it and watching it over and over," she said. “I think the plan was already in motion even as far back as then."
Williams took his own life in August of 2014 and reports say Kate was visiting Saffo in New Mexico as news of his death emerged.
“One of the last things she said to me was, 'Reta, I know you hate funerals and don't attend them, but for me would you PLEASE come to MINE, at least. Please!'" Saffo told the Kansas City Star.
Their deaths were hauntingly similar.
Williams hanged himself using a belt on a closet door, while police say Spade also hanged herself, but with a red scarf from the doorknob in her bedroom at her Park Avenue apartment on Park Avenue.
According to reports, the designer fell into a deep depression after her husband of 24 years demanded a divorce and moved into a nearby apartment.
Spade — who was worth an estimated $200 million — mentioned her anxiety in a podcast last February.
“I am also a very, a nervous person, I worry a lot,” she said.
Saffo believes Spade was suffering from bipolar disorder and wasn’t surprised when she heard the news of her suicide.
In a statement, Saffo wrote that she “tried numerous times to get her help for bipolar disorder... stemming from her immense celebrity.”
However, a source told People Magazine that Spade’s family disagrees and that Saffo has not been around.
"The family is disgusted and saddened that at this time of great sorrow, Kate's sister who has been estranged from the entire family for more than 10 years would choose to surface with unsubstantiated comments," the source said. "Her statements paint a picture of someone who didn't know her at all.”
Spade was 55 years old.
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