The grieving father of fashion designer Kate Spade said he was aware of his daughter’s struggles with depression and had warned her about the pills she had been taking.
In an interview with the Kansas City Star on Wednesday, Frank Brosnahan said: ‘She’d been taking some pills, which I advised her not to take.’
The 90-year-old also revealed that he had spoken to Kate the night before her death but does ‘not know what happened’ since she gave no indication she was planning to take her life.
‘The last I talked with her, the night before last, she was happy planning a trip to California to look at colleges. She doted on her daughter,’ he said.
Kate Spade’s father has revealed his daughter had been ‘taking pills’ that he had warned her not to take
Frank Brosnahan, 90, (pictured with daughter Eve) said he had spoken to Kate the night before her death and reveals she seemed ‘happy’ and was planning a trip to California to look at colleges
Frank Brosnahan is seen on his birthday in an Instagram picture shared by his granddaughter Rachel Bronsahan
The fashion designer was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday morning after hanging herself with a scarf.
She left a note addressed to her 13-year-old daughter Frances Beatrix Spade telling her she is not to blame for what happened.
Brosnahan explained that the conversation and widespread coverage about Kate’s suicide could help shed light on mental illness for others.
‘She was always giving and charitable. If that helped anybody avoid anything — fine, she’d be delighted,’ he told the paper.
Spade is one of six children born to Frank and June Brosnahan, a flight attendant and realtor who died in 2010.
The famed handbag designer’s dad said he hopes to have his daughter buried back home in Kansas City, Missouri next to his late wife.
‘At least that’s what I would like. I’d like for her to be buried with her mother. They were very close.’
When asked about the rest of the Brosnahan family, Frank told the Star they are getting through it, ‘but we certainly miss our bright, sun-shiney little person.’
Kate is survived by her five other siblings, sisters Missy, Ann, Eve, Reta, and brother Earl.
Difficult time: Kate’s husband Andy Spade spoke out for the first time since the death of his wife Tuesday (couple above in 2016)
Kate leaves behind her 13-year-old daughter Frances Beatrix Spade (pictured in 2013)
On Tuesday, Kate’s sister Reta Saffo, 57, told DailyMail.com that the designer had struggled to cope with her celebrity status, which only made her suspected bipolar disorder worse.
Saffo said she was aware of her sister’s battle with mental illness, but it wasn’t until comedian Robin Williams killed himself in August 2014, that Saffo began to realize Kate’s obsession with suicide and her unraveling mental health.
Saffo had also told the Star that her suicide was not ‘unexpected’ – prompting backlash from her family.
Their brother, Earl Brosnahan revealed to The New York Times that Saffo, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been estranged from the family for years and only kept in contact with Kate.
He described her ‘definitive’ comments as ‘grossly inaccurate,’ adding that Kate keeping in touch with Reta was ‘Katy’s way to be accessible and available to everyone.’
In the same New York Times interview published on Wednesday, Earl explained that he had been made aware of his sister’s troubles 18 months ago and the two had spoken to her about ‘her sadness.’
Elyce Arons, who founded Kate Spade, revealed the two had previously spoken about suicide which Kate insisted she would never consider.
‘She’d say to me, “I would never do that. I would never do that. I would never do that,” and I believed her,’ Arons said.