Thomas Kinkade, whose idyllic paintings hung in many American homes, died Friday, April 6 at his home in Los Gatos, California. He appears to have died of natural causes at the age of 54.
Signature themes of Kinkade's pastoral work include cottages, streams, valleys and churches. His distributor, Media Arts Group, estimated that his works hung in one of every 20 U.S. homes.
However, recent troubles including closing galleries, a declining interest in his work and a pending federal investigation related to securities fraud, had cast a dark cloud over his once ideal outlook.
The self-proclaimed "Painter of Light" is survived by his wife, Nanette, and four daughters. "Thom provided a wonderful life for his family," Nanette Kinkade said in a statement. "We are shocked and saddened by his death."
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