Hundreds of mourners have braved drizzling rain to attend a funeral for fashion designer Kate Spade in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, with many of those attending carrying her iconic purses.
On the eve of Thursday's funeral, the Spade family released a statement saying Kate's father 89-year-old Earl Brosnahan Jr, who had been in failing health, had died the night before.
The statement said Brosnahan had been left "heartbroken" after his daughter took her own life, aged 55, in new New York City home on June 5, leaving behind husband Andy Spade and a 13-year-old daughter.
Andy Spade said his wife had suffered from depression and anxiety for years and was in the treatment of a doctor at the time of her death.
A high school classmate remembered Spade as "incredibly kind" and having a memorable laugh.
The service was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church, the same church were her grandparents wed.
Spade was an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine when she launched her company with husband in 1993.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or a Kansas City animal shelter.
Australian Associated Press
