A senior executive at Estée Lauder died in his husband’s arms inside their New York City apartment shortly after telling him he felt light-headed.
Kendal Ascher’s husband, William Howe, told the Daily Mail that his spouse of four months suddenly collapsed in the early hours of Feb. 25 while they were trying to make their way to the bedroom of their $2.8 million home in Chelsea, Manhattan.
“There was no pulse — he was immediately unresponsive. He died in my arms,” Howe, 63, said. “It all happened within eight seconds.”
Ascher, 56, had just taken a shower and mentioned that he felt light-headed, so he sat down to recover. After waiting a few minutes, Howe helped him back to his feet.
The couple managed only a few steps before Ascher told his husband to “wait.” Moments later, he went limp and collapsed.
Kendal Ascher died in his apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan in New York City last month.
Ascher had married William Howe in Provincetown, Massachusetts in October after 12 years together. Howe described his husband as “a little boy in a big man’s body.”
“He loved to laugh and loved to play,” Howe said. “He was selfless — he worried about everyone and always put himself second.”
Ascher’s cause of death remains under investigation, according to the Daily Mail. Howe said his husband had no known underlying health conditions.
Kendal Ascher is pictured with his husband, William Howe.
Ascher spent more than 25 years working for cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, according to his LinkedIn profile. He joined the company in June 1995, serving for about four and a half years as an account executive for Aramis Designer Fragrances.
He later worked at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics between November 1999 and June 2001 before moving to L’Oréal, where he served as an assistant vice president of marketing for Kiehl’s.
Ascher returned to Estée Lauder in April 2007. Since July 2021, he had been serving as senior vice president and general manager for La Mer, Jo Malone and Darphin in North America.
The couple owned an apartment in the Lantern House.
Executives at Estée Lauder described Kendal Ascher as “one of a kind” and someone who “was full of energy.”
“When [Ascher] walked into a room, he lit it up,” Jane Hertzmark Hudis, executive vice president and chief brand officer at The Estée Lauder Companies, wrote in an email seen by Business of Fashion.
“He was full of energy, kind and funny, and he had a heart of gold.
“He truly loved our company, and we were all blessed to be inspired by [Ascher].”
Tara Simon, the brand’s president in the Americas, also praised Ascher, calling him an “incredible leader” and a “lover of beauty and luxury,” according to WWD.
“His impact extended far beyond his role as our North America luxury brands leader,” she said.
“He was a fearless advocate for his teams, a generous mentor, a lover of beauty and luxury, always an optimist and, mostly, a friend. Kendal was an incredible leader.
“He showed up to work the same way he lived his life — full of heart and conviction, levity and wisdom. He helped his teams believe they could accomplish things they hadn’t imagined and created success for all along the way.”
