He was brilliant in the real sense of the word. You may think his designs were all imagination but he was really very intellectual and said it all came down to two very formal things, cut and proportion. If you look at the photo Goblin posted its right there. So he was really technical in his designs.
When your mother dies you are no longer anyone's child. Maybe he just felt free to go himself. But I think to do it by hanging, there had to be some emotional turmoil there.