Mary, 52, was found dead in the apartment that she shared with the 81-year-old pop artist in Riverside Drive on Sunday night, June 9, authorities confirmed.

• Jun 12, 2019

AceShowbiz - Famed artist Peter Max has lost his loved one. His wife, Mary, was found dead in the apartment that she shared with Peter in Riverside Drive on Sunday night, June 9, the New York Police Department confirmed. She was 52.

Her cause of death is currently unknown, but it's reported that Mary died of nitrogen asphyxiation in what appeared to be a suicide. Meanwhile, her attorney, John Markham, said that Mary left a lengthy voice mail to say her last goodbyes to her loved ones, including her husband, brother and her 94-year-old mother, just hours prior to her death.

Her death is currently being investigated. A rep for her family declined to comment on the news.

Mary had in recent years been embroiled in family legal battles over Peter, who suffers from advanced dementia, and his work. Peter's son from his first marriage, Adam, and Mary were accusing each other of mistreating the famed artist in various ways, including "kidnapping, hiring goons, attempting murder by Brazil nut and scheming to wring even more money out of what was already one of the most profitable art franchises in modern times."

In a 2015 lawsuit, Adam accused his stepmother of attempting to kill her husband so that she could take control of his multimillion-dollar art collection. The latter denied the allegations, before claiming that Adam stole $4.3 million worth of artwork that her husband gave her in a prenuptial agreement. She also said he "kidnapped" Peter. Adam responded by saying that he was protecting his dad from Mary's "verbal and physical abuse."

A judge ultimately ordered Peter to be placed in Mary's care and appointed a guardian to oversee his business and personal affairs, but the lawsuit continued. His daughter, Libra, recently returned to New York to help the ailing artist.