David Spade opens up about sister-in-law Kate's death by suicide: 'I feel like Katy wouldn't have done it, 5 minutes later'
David Spade may be known for his sitcoms, buddy comedies with the late Chris Farley, and ‘90s-era stretch on Saturday Night Live, but the comedian and newly-minted Comedy Central talk show host is tackling some serious matter in his new profile with the New York Times.
The 55-year-old star opened up to the newspaper about losing sister-in-law Kate Spade in June 2018. The fashion designer, who was married to Spade’s brother, Andy, died by suicide at age 55.
Spade has paid tribute to the fashion icon on social media, but delved deeper into the circumstances of her death in his interview with the Times.
“I feel like Katy wouldn’t have done it, five minutes later,” he said of the designer, who suffered from depression and anxiety. “But these things happen and there’s no going back.”
He also described her as “so funny.”
“I don’t know if agoraphobic is the word, but she didn’t like to mingle a lot; she’d have people at her house and she was always so funny,” he shared.
Kate’s isn’t the only major death that has rocked Spade’s life. He also lost his stepfather to suicide at age 15, as well as several close friends as a young man.
Read more: Kate Spade’s most memorable designs
“People just started going right and left, and I would sit and stare at a wall,” he said. “I just said, ‘OK, I guess I’ll cross my fingers that it doesn’t happen to everyone.’ And more people would go.”
Farley’s fatal overdose in 1997 — Spade’s SNL, Tommy Boy and Black Sheep co-star was just 33 — was an especially painful blow. The Lights Out host also revealed that he is frequently targeted by trolls saying they wish he’d died instead of his close friend and comedic partner.
“The first couple times it was rough,” he said, “but now it’s the standard burn. I wish I didn’t get that three times a week.”
“But do you just stop doing what you’re doing because of a tragedy?” he continued, referencing his career since Farley’s death. “You have to go, well, I still like doing this. Some people won’t be interested. But I did three sitcoms after that. It wasn’t totally horrible.”
By Erin Donnelly, Yahoo Lifestyle
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