Françoise Gilot, the famed artist who loved and then left Picasso, is dead at 101

Artist Francoise Gilot appears during an interview with Reginald Bosanquet in London on March 3, 1965, in connection with the publication of her book, My Life With Picasso. (Bob Dear/AP)

NEW YORK — Françoise Gilot, a prolific and acclaimed painter who produced art for well more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso — and for leaving him — died Tuesday in New York City, where she had lived for decades. She was 101.

Gilot's daughter, Aurelia Engel, told The Associated Press her mother had died at Mount Sinai West hospital after suffering both lung and heart problems. "She was an extremely talented artist, and we will be working on her legacy and the incredible paintings and works she is leaving us with," Engel said.