Former West Australian premier Ray O'Connor, who was jailed for six months in the mid 1990s as part of the WA Inc scandal, has died.

Mr O'Connor, who was 86, had spent the latter part of his life in a Perth nursing home.

The Liberal was given the unenviable task of succeeding party icon Sir Charles Court when he resigned as premier in 1982, but Mr O'Connor lasted just over a year in the top job before losing the 1983 election.

More than 10 years later, the government's dodgy ties with big business, including Alan Bond, came back to haunt Mr O'Connor when he was convicted of stealing a $25,000 cheque from Bond Corporation.

He was sentenced to six months in jail.

WA's current Premier Colin Barnett paid tribute to his predecessor, offering condolences to his family.

Political analyst Peter Kennedy said Mr O'Connor, who sat in state parliament for 24 years, was unlucky to become premier late in his career when the Labor party was undergoing a resurgence.

"Controversy dogged Ray O'Connor throughout his career, both in politics and after he retired," Mr Kennedy told ABC radio.