As the world mourns the loss of the famous handbag designer, Kate Spade, her family opens up about Spade's years of instability. Her sister, Reta Saffo, expressed that Spade had suffered from "debilitating mental illness for the last three or four years and was self-medicating with alcohol," according to a letter sent to The Kansas City Star.

Kate Spade, the designer behind the popular clothing and accessory brand, was found dead in her New York apartment on June 5. Saffo explained that "Sometimes you simply cannot SAVE people from themselves!"

Saffo said that she had come close to convincing her sister to get mental health treatment, but at the last minute Spade refused to go.

"I'd come so VERY close to getting her to go in for treatment (to the same place Catherine Zeta-Jones went for her successful bipolar treatment program). I'd spoken with them on the phone (not telling them exactly who the patient would be). They agreed to fly in and talk with her and take her with them to the treatment center," Saffo wrote.

"She was all set to go — but then chickened out by morning. I even said I (would) go with her and be a 'patient' too (she liked that idea) I said we could talk about it all — our childhood, etc. That I could help her fill in any blanks she might have..."

"That seemed to make her more comfortable, and we'd get sooo close to packing her bags, but — in the end, the 'image' of her brand (happy-go-lucky Kate Spade) was more important for her to keep up. She was definitely worried about what people would say if they found out," Saffo wrote.

Kate Spade died at age 55. Details surrounding her suicide continue to be released.