Kate Spade, the designer who built an empire on her signature handbags before selling the brand, was found dead in her New York City apartment on Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide, police said.

The 55-year old had hanged herself and was found by her housekeeper at her home on Park Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as reported by the New York Daily News, citing unnamed police officials.

Spade was a former accessories editor at the now-closed Mademoiselle magazine before launching her namesake design company, Kate Spade New York, in 1993. It began by selling handbags before expanding to include clothing, jewelry, bedding, legwear and fragrances. She sold the brand in 2006.

Spade leaves behind a design legacy that included over 140 retail shops and outlet stores and more than 175 stores internationally, in addition to the iconic handbags that launched her career in 90s.

Tapestry Inc, the handbag company formerly known as Coach, bought the Kate Spade brand in May 2017 to tap millennials, who are drawn to the company’s quirky satchels and colorful tote bags. The deal also turned Coach into a multibrand fashion house, a strategy that European counterparts such as Louis Vuitton have built their businesses on.

The Kansas City, Missouri, native married Andy Spade, brother of actor David Spade, in 1994. In 2016, the couple launched a new fashion brand called Frances Valentine, which sells footwear and accessories.