Cullen, who lived on his own in Wentworth Falls, had been seriously ill for some time.



Close associates told Fairfax Media the family feared he was near death three weeks ago.

In a Sydney court hearing last November, Mr Waterstreet said Cullen was bipolar and faced serious physical and mental health problems.



Cullen’s pancreas had been removed, he was diabetic and he took 11 medications a day.

Cullen received a 10-month suspended jail sentence and was ordered to undergo counselling after he appeared on drink-drive and firearms charges.



He had been pulled over by police near Goulburn in July, last year.

A number of weapons were found in his car and he had a blood-alcohol reading more than twice the legal limit.

Gallery owner Michael Reid, who knew Cullen well, said the court case had a devastating effect on the artist. He described Cullen as "quite an extraordinary human being".



"Adam was the real deal,’’ said Mr Reid. "Even in the grips of a consuming illness, on a good day, he was one of the very best contemporary artists in Australia. Adam was astonishingly kind and the many hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in paintings he donated to charity attest to his endless giving. Adam’s death is a great loss to the nation in so many ways."