Andy Spade says wife Kate Spade was battling 'personal demons'

In his first comments since the death of his wife, designer Kate Spade, on Tuesday, Andy Spade is setting the record straight on their marriage and her struggles with depression and anxiety.

Kate Spade was found dead in her New York City home of an apparent suicide. In a statement to E! News, Andy Spade said she was "the kindest person I've ever known and my best friend for 35 years." He feels "devastated," and revealed that Kate Spade "suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives." Her death was a "complete shock. And it clearly wasn't her. There were personal demons she was battling."

She was not abusing alcohol or drugs, he said, and they were not experiencing any business problems. Andy Spade said they had spent the last 10 months living separately, just a few blocks from each other, but were not legally separated and had not discussed divorce. "We were together for 35 years," he said. "We loved each other very much and simply needed a break." Regarding media reports about a suicide note written by his wife, Spade said he has "yet to see any note left behind and am appalled that a private message to my daughter has been so heartlessly shared with the media."

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