Thomas Kinkade's Wife Seeks Restraining Order Against Girlfriend
The wife of the late "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade has filed a restraining order against Kinkade's girlfriend, Amy Pinto-Walsh.
Attorney's for Kinkade's wife, Nanette Kinkade, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose, Calif. against the girlfriend of the late painter to bar her from disclosing confidential information about the painter.
According to reports, Pinto-Walsh had "access to trade secrets and commercially sensitive information."
Although Pinto-Walsh signed a confidentiality agreement last February to not disclose any information about Kinkade, she has since said that she would release confidential information about the painter.
Following Kinkade's death Pinto-Walsh had told reporters that she had been by his side when he passed away at his Los Gatos estate on April 5. She also said that she had been romantically involved with Kinkade for 18 months and that he had been separated from his wife for some time.
Pinto-Walsh currently resides at Kinkade's estate.
The famous painter whose paintings are estimated to be found in every 20 homes across the United States was a devout Christian.
"I'm a warrior for light. With whatever talent and resources I have, I'm trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many people feel," Kinkade told San Jose Mercury News back in 2002.
"Paintings are the tools that can inspire the heart to greater faith," he said. "My paintings are messengers of God's love. Nature is simple the language which I speak."
An official cause of death has not been disclosed as of yet, but a statement released by his family following the death said that the 54-year-old appeared to have died from natural causes.
Kinkade's brother, Patrick Kinkade, recently told the San Jose Mercury News that the artist had relapsed into alcoholism and had been "drinking all night" when he died.
"You can be doing real well and suddenly, the bottle calls you and you fall off," Patrick said.