David Spade Reflected On Sister-In-Law Kate Spade's Impact One Month After Her Tragic Passing

On June 5, news broke that beloved fashion designer Kate Spade died by suicide at the age of 55. Just over a month later, her brother-in-law David Spade opened up about Kate Spade's death and how the family is coping following such a tragic loss. During the July 18 episode of Good Morning America, host Robin Roberts asked the comedian how the family was doing.

Understandably, David's immediate response was "as good as we can." He continued, "It's been very tough obviously, and it is very sweet that everyone came out of the woodwork. She really made an impact." And she definitely did. He even went off on a sweet tangent about how the women he dated used to step up their style game when they would be spending time with his fashion designer sister-in-law. David recalled,

"I remember when we used to hang out. It's funny because every girl I was with or anyone around that knew they would see Katy would dress different. They would bring their A-game. It was very sweet."

He added, "They would be like 'Is Katy coming? Is Katy going to be there?' If they knew, it would be a whole new wardrobe." That's completely understandable. Almost anyone would take Kate Spade's presence into account when choosing an outfit.

David also pointed out that Kate was well-aware when people were dressing to impress her. He shared,

"Katy was very sweet. She would know they were doing that and say some compliment. I'd say you don't dress up for me and they'd go, 'Yeah that's her and you're you.' It sounds like a cut-down."

He concluded, "She was obviously such a beautiful, lovely, great spirit that obviously will be missed." Then he admitted, "I'll start bawling," if that topic of conversation continued throughout the remainder interview.

This is not the first time that he has opened up about his family's loss. On June 5, the Joe Dirt star tweeted a photo of his sister-in-law with the caption, "Katy at my book signing. I love this pic of her. So pretty. I dont think everyone knew how f*cking funny she was... Its a rough world out there people. Try to hang on."

That same day, he shared another photo of the two of them on Instagram. It was a blurry image, but he made his love for Kate very clear in the caption. David wrote,

"Fuzzy picture but i love it. Kate and I during Christmas family photos. We had so much fun that day. She was so sharp and quick on her feet. She could make me laugh so hard. I still cant believe it."

Just like his tweet from that day, he ended his post with, "Its a rough world out there people, try to hang on."

David is not the only relative who has been vocal since Kate's passing. The Spade family released a statement to the New York Times, that read in part: "We are all devastated by today’s tragedy." The family also emphasized, "We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time."

Aside from sharing sweet memories of Kate, David also donated money to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. On June 14, the organization tweeted a thank you message to the actor:

"We are grateful to @DavidSpade for his generous contribution. This donation will allow us to continue to provide support and advance our mission of building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness."

The actor quoted the tweet from NAMI and added, "Keep up the good work."

On June 26, David posted a throwback photo with Natalie Portman on a red carpet with a caption poking fun of his style, even though his own family members are prominent figures in fashion. He tweeted,

"Holy crap. Zoot suit riot. Wtf am I wearing?? How am I related to kate and andy spade?? MTV awards way back. Poor natalie portman had to strug thru this pic. Ive met her probably 4 times and im star struck every time."

David has always shared sweet moments with his sister-in-law on social media and that wasn't the only time that he joked about his fashion sense in comparison to hers. On January 15, 2016, David posted a photo on Instagram of the trio on a red carpet along with the caption, "Andy Katy and me at the CFDA's 10 years ago. You can see why they're in the fashion world and I'm not. #fbf."

In December 2013, David shared a zoomed-out version of the same photo he tweeted on June 5. He wrote, "Everyone asks me about kate spade. Heres me blabbing to the lovely katy at family xmas pic."

On March 4, 2015, the actor shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the two them filming Just Shoot Me. In the caption he joked, "#tbt old shot from @ELLEmagazine when kate spade came to do an episode of Just Shoot Me. (And to remind me whose the rich one in the fam )."

Then in November 2016, David praised Kate when he posted a photo of them at an aquarium with the caption, "The lovely and talented Kate Spade with local court jester at the aquarium yesterday."

The loss of a close family member is very difficult to handle. On top of that, David and the rest of his relatives have to process Kate's passing in front of the world. He has put in a thoughtful effort to honor her memory, while also supporting a mental health advocacy group along the way.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911 or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. For international resources, here is a good place to begin.