Kate Spade's father dies night before designer's funeral - BBC News
Kate Spade's father, "heartbroken" over her death, dies a day before the designer is laid to rest.
Kate Spade, pictured with her husband Andy, had been suffering from depression and anxiety for years

US fashion designer Kate Spade has been laid to rest in her home town of Kansas City, Missouri, 16 days after her death by suicide.

Less than a day before the funeral, her 89-year-old father Earl F Brosnahan Jr died in the same city.

He had been in bad health and was "heartbroken over the recent death of his beloved daughter", the Brosnahan family said in a statement.

Kate Spade had turned her name into a global accessories empire.

She was particularly well known for her striking handbags.

The 55-year-old was found unresponsive in her New York apartment by her housekeeper on 5 June.

She had been suffering from depression and anxiety for years, but both her husband and father had said there was no sign she was considering taking her own life.

Brightly coloured Kate Spade handbags could be glimpsed as mourners gathered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Redemptorist Church in Kansas City on Thursday afternoon.

"She was incredibly kind and had a very memorable laugh," said friend Margie Morrison.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How Spade shaped the catwalk - and High Street

Kate Spade's father, who was known as Frank, was in the construction business. He is survived by his wife, five children and eight grandchildren

Spade sold her namesake brand in 2007 and it was bought last year by New York rival designer Coach in a deal worth $2.4bn (£1.8bn). She and her husband then set up another design venture, Frances Valentine, named after their daughter, now 13.

Spade legally changed her name to Kate Valentine (Valentine was her grandfather's middle name) in 2016 to "separate the two worlds", she said.