LONDON (AFP) – A young man who was at the home of renowned British artist David Hockney has died in mysterious circumstances, police said on Monday.

Officers are investigating events leading up to the death of the 23-year-old – identified by media as Dominic Elliott, an assistant and close friend of the painter – over the weekend.

The man was taken to hospital from Hockney’s home in the seaside town of Bridlington in northeast England early on Sunday morning. It is unclear whether he died in hospital or at the artist’s place.

“The circumstances of the man’s death are not clear and officers are currently undertaking inquiries to establish events leading to his death,” a spokeswoman for Humberside Police said. “There were no signs of violence and a post mortem examination is due to take place tomorrow (Tuesday) which is hoped may provide further information.”

The man was taken to Scarborough General Hospital, 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Bridlington, at around 6 a.m. GMT on Sunday.

Hockney, 75, reportedly recruited Elliot to help with a series of works depicting Bridlington. The artist painted a portrait of Elliott in his trademark bold style in 2008.

Hockney is best known for his sunshine-drenched paintings of California, where he has lived on and off for the past three decades. But in recent years he has turned to the scenery of his native Yorkshire for inspiration.

More than 600,000 people went to see a major exhibition of his giant, vivid Yorkshire landscapes at London’s Royal Academy of Arts last year.