A senior executive at Estée Lauder died suddenly in the arms of his husband inside their New York City apartment, shortly after telling him that he felt dizzy.
According to his husband, William Howe, Kendal Ascher collapsed in the early hours of February 25 while they were trying to walk to their bedroom in their $2.8 million apartment in Chelsea.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Howe said that his husband of four months suddenly lost consciousness.
“There was no pulse. He became unresponsive immediately and died in my arms,” said the 63-year-old. “Everything happened in about eight seconds.”
Earlier, the 56-year-old Ascher had taken a shower and mentioned feeling light-headed, so he sat down to recover. After waiting a few minutes, Howe helped him stand up again.
However, they managed to take only four steps before Ascher told his husband to wait. Moments later, he went limp and passed away.
Kendal Ascher passed away in his apartment in Chelsea, New York City, last month.
Ascher had married his longtime partner William Howe in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in October after being together for 12 years.
Howe described his husband as “a little boy in a big man’s body.”
“He loved to laugh and enjoyed playing,” Howe said. “He was incredibly selfless, always worrying about others and putting himself second.”
According to the report, the exact cause of Ascher’s death is still being investigated. Howe also said that his husband had no known underlying health problems.
Ascher with his husband, William Howe.
Ascher’s career with the cosmetics giant spanned more than 25 years, according to his LinkedIn page. He joined the company in June 1995, where he spent four and a half years as an account executive for Aramis Designer Fragrances.
He worked for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics between November 1999 and June 2001 before moving to L’Oreal, where he worked as an assistant vice president in marketing for Kiehl’s.
Ascher returned to Estée Lauder in April 2007 and had been working as an SVP general manager for La Mer, Jo Malone and Darphin, North America since July 2021.
The couple owned an apartment in the Lantern House.
Executives at Estée Lauder remembered Kendal Ascher as a unique individual who was known for his vibrant energy.
“When Ascher entered a room, he instantly brightened it,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis in an email obtained by Business of Fashion.
“He was energetic, kind and humorous, and he truly had a heart of gold.
He deeply loved our company, and we were fortunate to be inspired by him.”
Tara Simon, the company’s president for the Americas, described Ascher as an “extraordinary leader” and someone who had a deep appreciation for beauty and luxury, according to WWD.
“His influence reached well beyond his role as head of North America luxury brands,” she said.
“He was a fearless supporter of his teams, a generous mentor, someone who loved beauty and luxury, always remained optimistic and, above all, was a friend. Kendal was an exceptional leader.
He approached his work the same way he approached life — with passion, conviction, humor and wisdom. He inspired his teams to believe they could achieve things they never imagined and helped create success for everyone along the way.”