Did the “Painter of Light” drink himself to death? Thomas Kinkade’s girlfriend told reporters that the artist “died in his sleep, very happy, in the house he built, with the paintings he loved, and the woman he loved,” but now a darker picture has emerged. Kinkade’s girlfriend, Amy Pinto, had called 911 last Saturday when he died and told dispatchers he had been “drinking all night and not moving.” Though earlier reports said Kinkade earned $100 million a year in sales of his idyllic paintings, apparently his company was in bankruptcy when he died. His problems with alcohol were not exactly a secret, as he spent time in jail on drunk-driving charges.
