In another tale of private unhappiness, Kate Spade was found dead by her own hand in the same month as Bourdain. The vastly popular and successful fashion designer was just 55 and left behind both her husband and her 13-year-old daughter. Spade's shocking demise prompted a prolonged and serious public discussion about the need to better recognize and treat mental health conditions.
Spade's innovative and bubbly approach design won her legions of buyers and admirers, both public and celebrity, and her particular talent for designing handbags is what built her a million-dollar company. She was still active in the industry at the time of her death, having launched the fashion brand "Frances Valentine" after the big money sale of her original company, and surely had more captivating and creative works ahead of her, making her loss all the more tragic.