EXCLUSIVE

Scott Marshall, the winner of season 4 of "Ink Master" has died at 41-years-old ... TMZ has learned.

According to Marshall's wife Johanna, Scott called her from his tattoo shop near Chicago Saturday night and said he wasn't feeling well enough to make the drive home. She says Scott got a hotel nearby to crash but when he didn't answer her calls the next day, she got worried.

Johanna says 2 police officers came to her door Sunday and told her Scott had passed away in his sleep. She says preliminary autopsy results show it was something to do with his heart.

We spoke with the coroner and local police who would only say his death is under investigation.

Scott won the show's $100,000 prize in 2014 and was featured in Inked Magazine. He leaves behind 3 kids.