Posted on 03/07/2025 1:43:42 PM PST by sphinx
A February 27 autopsy of Gene Hackman reveals the 95-year-old Oscar winner died of a combination of “advanced Alzheimer’s disease” and severe heart disease, the Santa Fe Medical Examiner announced today.
“It is reasonable to conclude that Mr. Hackman died on February 17,” Dr. Heather Jarrell said in a press conference with Santa Fe Sherif Adan Mendoza and other county officials. “He was in very poor health,” Dr. Jarrell also noted of Hackman, adding that there was evidence that he hadn’t eaten for a number of days. Ms. Arakawa is assumed to have died on or around February 11, officials estimated.
(Excerpt) Read more at deadline.com ...
A lot of opinionated people on this thread obviously didn’t see today’s press conference featuring the Santa Fe police and the medical examiner.
That makes sense. Our cats have had to remain in a cage for 12-24 hours after some procedures.
I was particularly impressed by the medical examiner (coroner?) and her explanation.
Wow, thanks.
I think this has been explained, now. Just a lot of unfortunate circumstances culminating at once.
> Hackman’s children said that she took very good care of him.
Not being a family confidante, I have no reason to disbelieve this.
However, with no disrepect intended to Betsy, I have no particular reason to believe it either.
Just from observing from the outside, a 67 yo asian woman taking care of a much larger 95 yo caucasian man seems due to common sense to be physically if not also emotionally overwhelmed at some point in time. IMHO they left themselves vulnerable to a logistical event failure.
Their routine (gardeners working on the premises every few weeks) left no room for error.
From the point of view of the relatives, the couple may have stiff-armed them and refused all logistical help. The authorities are IMHO likely to be aware of such details.
> The medical examiner said that the type of Hanta virus she had contracted can take one to eight weeks after exposure to manifest; she probably didn’t what she had, thinking it was just some ‘flu.
Sounds very possible IMHO (note, I am no expert on anything).
I see that Betsy was a native of Hawaii, in which case she might have had little or no advance knowledge of the hantavirus, how dangerous it is, and in particular how quickly fatal symptoms may occur. In some ways it might be an ideal cause of death for someone who is not native to the southwestern USA.
According to today’s police conference, there was no evidence of hantavirus inside the main dwelling. So where did it come from? Perhaps Betsy was cleaning an outside toolshed on the property and there was a deer mouse infestation in that toolshed. Could it be that her rigorous devotion to cleanliness contributed to her premature demise?
Any way one looks at it, very sad...
Hantavirus isn’t well known outside NM. But given that there have only been 52 fatalities in nearly 50 years here, it lacks that “apocalypse cool” factor.
I like to deal in known facts.
Even though New Mexico is one of the major states to harbor Hanta virus, I imagine there are lots of people living there who don’t know much, if anything, about it, much less whether it has shown up on their property. There are very few cases in humans every year.
This seems to have been a very devoted couple who were dealing very well with their problems, until circumstances came together.
Crap happens to all of us, case closed.
Well said.
And took care of an 8,000 sq ft home!
It blows my mind that she had no help. The only workers I have heard about worked outside when needed.
They did have pest control, pretty sure that is who found them.
Yeah I dont get how a 65 yr old woman was able to take her ailing husband and give him a bath everyday, its VERY difficult, I mean if he was that far gone that he couldn’t even go and get himself a bite to eat it means she would have to take him to the bathroom everyday to bathe him thats an impossible task for her to have lifted him..why they didnt have a caregiver makes zero sense, they had the room for it and the money heck they could have had multiple caregivers for Gene sometime to be there at night when needed and someone during the day to help with tasks
Thank you.
A dear friend of mine took care of her husband for several years. They had a lady with some medical training that lived with them, and a cleaning lady came in 5 days a week. Even with the help it ruined my friend’s health to go through all she did with him.
In this case, I dont believe she had ANY help..and I read that the reason why the dog was in a crate is because two days prior he had some medical procedure at the Vet and he was picked up by the wife..poor pup, he survived whatever procedure he went through just to die of starvation :(
Mrs. Hackman seems to have been running all of her errands, and doing everything required the last day anyone heard from her.
I’m sorry about the dog, but I don’t think that was anyone’s fault.
I had lots of complications after the Whipple because my renal artery was nicked. Lots of internal bleeding and infections followed. Fortunately, that is behind me now. I plugged my medical details into grok3 for an assessment/prognosis. Statistically, I'm good for about 32 months post Whipple (June 2024) before the cancer reappears. Plenty of time to get my affairs in order.
Mr. Hackman's death haunts me because of one of his last scenes: in "Unforgiven" his evil sheriff character is injured on a bar-room floor looking up at the anti-hero played by Clint Eastwood.
Little Bill Daggett: I don't deserve this... to die like this. I was building a house.
Will Munny: Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.
[aims shotgun]
Little Bill Daggett: I'll see you in hell, William Munny.
Will Munny: Yeah.
[fires]
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So I'll remember him from his role that inspired me as a kid: the never-give-up firebrand Reverend Scott in "The Poseidon Adventure" from 1972, who spent his last energy saving people he barely knew.
In very severe cases people can’t remember how to eat. They have a hard time chewing and swallowing. Sometimes they need a feeding bag (some refuse that, or otherwise give directives not to), or if not, it is basically a death sentence if you can’t swallow water or get an IV drip at a minimum. 3 days give or take without water. With water/IV but no food maybe many weeks or months but getting weaker every day.
It is surprising, even though Gene had a younger wife, and children, that they were left to their own devices with nobody checking on them. If he wasn’t near the end with an obvious destructive disease, hospice care may not have been necessary but daily visits and some help with a variety of medical issues would seem to be obvious for a 95 year old man with heart condition and Alzheimer’s. I can only guess she didn’t want it but that’s total speculation on my part. Some have speculated that they may not have had the money, I don’t know it’s possible that as an actor who retired apx 2 decades ago maybe he ran out of income, but that is a beautiful house I am sure it could have been refinanced or reverse mortgage type deal to fund his last years. He had an apartment in Manhattan at one point as I recall when he started writing fiction (after acting). In his 80’s he got hit by a car while bike riding. He was a tough cookie, active, typical of his generation. God bless them all. He deserved better, however none of us control the very end though we may try, if we live long enough and frail enough we fall at the mercy and whims of others.
I read that he was with $40 million.
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