Award-winning cartoonist Bill Leak was in an induced coma last night after falling from a balcony at the home of ad man John Singleton.
It is understood that Leak, 52, was among a group of friends who were feeding parrots at dusk on Saturday when the accident happened.
Leak, a renowned artist and cartoonist for The Australian newspaper, was in a serious condition, having undergone brain surgery at Royal North Shore Hospital.
He slipped and fell more than 7m on to grass from a balcony at Mr Singleton's Strawberry Hill Stud at Mount White, New South Wales.
A spokeswoman for Royal North Shore Hospital said Leak, who lives at Hardys Bay on the Central Coast, arrived at the hospital with serious head injuries, The Daily Telegraph reports.
He was undergoing tests, including a CAT scan to check for spinal problems and other internal injuries.
In a statement last night, John Hartigan, chairman and chief executive of News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph and news.com.au, said: "Bill's many friends and colleagues are shocked by this accident and our thoughts and prayers are with him, his partner Lo and Bill's family.
"Bill is as good as they get in our industry. He is a much loved and admired member of the News family and the wider world of media, art and publishing."
Leak is the winner of eight Walkley Awards and 19 Stanley Awards from the Australian Cartoonists Association, including eight as Artist of the Year.
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