Spade's apparent suicide on Tuesday, at age 55 inside the bedroom of her New York Park Avenue apartment, "was not unexpected by me," Reta Saffo, Spade's older sister by two years, told The Star by email from her house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Star made the correction and asked Saffo if she would speak by phone about her sister or if there was anything else about her that she wanted reflected. Spade's husband and business partner, Andy Spade, assisted in trying to coax her into treatment, making plans on how it would work and who would take care of their daughter, Frances Beatrix, known as Bea, Saffo said. Image copyright AFP Image caption Reporters gathered outside Kate Spade's apartment as news of her death emerged 
 
 Police said the designer's housekeeper found her unresponsive on Tuesday at her Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan. I know she perhaps had a plan, but she insisted she did not." Spade was born and raised Katherine Brosnahan in Kansas City, graduating from St. Teresa's Academy and then attending the University of Kansas before transferring to Arizona State University. Skip Twitter post by @kathygriffin I decided to wear head-to-toe Kate Spade to an event tonight to honor her contributions to fashion and women in business. I always admired that she was self-made and was so sad to hear the news of her passing. Rest easy, Kate..and thank you for making so many women feel wonderful pic.twitter.com/fuRCrv8Ozx — Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) June 6, 2018 Report 
 
 Where to get help 
 
 From Canada or US: If you're in an emergency, please call 911 
 
 You can contact the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 
 
 Young people in need of help can call Kids Help Phone on 1-800-668-6868 
 
 If you're in the US, you can contact the Crisis Test Line by texting HOME to 741741 
 
 If you are in the UK, you can call the Samaritans on 116123 
 
 For support and more information on emotional distress, click here.
– The apparent suicide of fashion designer Kate Spade is a tragedy, but not a huge surprise to older sister Reta Saffo. She tells the Kansas City Star that Spade had been struggling with mental illness for years and the stress and pressure of her famous brand may have "flipped the switch where she eventually became full-on manic depressive." The death, she says, "was not unexpected by me." Spade was found hanged in her New York City apartment on Tuesday. Saffo says that in 2014, her sister was transfixed by news of Robin Williams' suicide by hanging . "She kept watching it and watching it over and over," Saffo says. "I think the plan was already in motion even as far back as then." Spade, whose husband, Andy Spade, was reportedly home at the time of her death, left a note telling 13-year-old daughter Frances it wasn't her fault. More: Meanwhile, Spade's 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," a family source tells People. "Her statements paint a picture of someone who didn’t know her at all." Saffo, whose husband is a medical doctor, says she tried for years to get her sister the help she needed, but Spade kept backing out of plans to get treatment. "She was definitely worried about what people would say if they found out," says Saffo. Kathy Griffin was among many celebrities paying tribute to Spade, the BBC reports. "I decided to wear head-to-toe Kate Spade to an event tonight to honor her contributions to fashion and women in business," she tweeted. "Rest easy, Kate..and thank you for making so many women feel wonderful." The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 1-800-273-8255.