Hockney assistant death: ‘no obvious natural cause’

The 23-year-old died in hospital on Sunday morning after being rushed from David Hockney’s house in Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

The results of post-mortem exam released on Wednesday found that there was no obvious natural cause of death. Further tests will be carried out to try and find out how Elliott died, but the results will be not be known for weeks, said a Humberside Police spokesman.

Elliott worked as a personal assistant to the world-famous 75-year-old artist, setting up equipment and helping in his studio. He was also a keen sportsman and played for the local rugby club.

Officers are continuing to investigate how Elliott became ill before he was taken to Scarborough Hospital by a friend.

Humberside Police said earlier this week the circumstances of his death were “not clear” but there was no sign of violence.

“A post-mortem examination was carried out on the body of 23-year-old Dominic Elliott yesterday at Hull Royal Infirmary mortuary and it showed no obvious natural causes for his death,” a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

“Further tests will now be carried out, the results of which will not be known for some weeks.”

Photo gallery: David Hockney’s bigger pictures

Hockney: ‘state of shock’

Mr Hockney, who is not thought to be the friend who drove Elliott to hospital when he became illl, is said to be extremely upset by the death. A spokesperson for the artist said he was in a “state of shock” following the news.

The Bradford-born artist is one of the most famous British artists of his generation and was celebrated at the Royal Academy of Arts last year with an exhibition of his large scale landscapes, called A Bigger Picture.

Elliott was a well-known local sportsman and his team-mates at Bridlington Rugby Club and Driffield Hockey Club paid tribute to him in the days following his death.

He spoke to Culture Editor Matthew Cain on the eve of his Royal Academy of Arts show early last year, about why painting comes from the “hand and the heart” (see below).