Posted on 03/08/2025 4:01:25 AM PST by V_TWIN
Gene Hackman lived with his dead wife’s body for a full week before succumbing to complications from heart problems and advanced Alzheimer’s disease, officials said Friday as they revealed heartbreaking details of the legendary actor’s death.
His longtime love, Betsy Arakawa, died of Hantavirus, a rare flu-like disease linked to rats, likely on Feb. 11, the New Mexico officials said. The “French Connection” star, meanwhile, is believed to have died seven days later.
Hackman, 95, who had late-stage Alzheimer’s disease likely died roughly a week after his wife from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and from Alzheimer’s, Jarrell said. He tested negative for Hantavirus.
“He was in a very poor state of health,” Jarrell said. “He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s disease and it was quite possible he did not know that she was deceased.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Sad - almost made me want to cry...God rest and take their souls....
His wife was still young. they thought they don’t need in-house helpers.
Tragically sad.
Apparently she was basically his caretaker and had no backup support.
RIP to them both.
I had read where their dog was
found dead in the house also,
and that the front door was wide
open when the bodies were found.
So sad. May they rest in peace.
RIP. This is why you have kids. No guarantees, whether today or in days past, but kids are generally the ones who make sure mom and dad are okay. They got together in her 20s - plenty of time to have several.
So, the dog in the crate was treated for this virus?
I wonder if it’s ‘valley fever’. My brother lives in Az. and his dog is being treated for valley fever, (common out there) ...it’s very hard to get rid of
What a way to go, living with your deceased loved one for a week and not aware she’s dead. The stench must have been awful. You’d think there would be someone looking in on them daily. Oh well.
We had a neighbor die a few years ago. He was not discovered for a few weeks after he died in bed. This sort of thing happens more often than one would think.
I enjoyed most of Gene’s movies. Towards the end of his life he apparently had TDS. Many actors make hard left turns in their later years. Another one is Harrison Ford.
Hackman had 3 kids. Obviously, they didn’t give a damn or they would have been there. I lived 3k miles away from my folks, and when dad broke his femur, I dropped everything and was first on the spot. My 2 brothers live 6o and 300 miles away and were too lazy to help.
I think you misunderstood. The dead dog had been crated, probably because it had recently undergone some sort of veterinary procedure. Because it could not get out, it died of starvation or thirst or both.
Hackman himself probably died as a result of not taking medication for his condition, since his wife was dead for a week in another room. I remember there was an open bottle of medication in the bathroom where she was found and she had recently visited a CVS pharmacy before she died.
I can imagine the children being distant from him, given that he dropped their mother for some hot 25 year old chickie less than half his age (he was 54) and whom he’d been carrying on with for 3 years while he was still married.
Sure he was a great, great actor. But given the cheating and his leftist views, he was a crap hole of a person. No pity for him. I’m always careful to not confuse an actor with the role he plays.
So there were obviously no wellness checks on them from family members. Very sad.
<< Many actors make hard left turns in their later years. >>
Low T + high TDS
Did the dogs that were loose eat them?
Hanta is not rare. We get a local case every year or so. If you muck around in your own garden after an infected mouse has pooped in the mulch; you can get infected. In 30 days you are dead.
Looks just like the WuhanFlu, and then you keel over.
Hantavirus is nasty stuff. As a hiker I’m more concerned about getting it from rodent activity in an overnight shelter than I am afraid of grizzly or mountain lion encounters.
Sadly this is what can happen if you live a reclusive lifestyle. Nobody contacts you very often.
It’s amazing how both died at the same time including one of their dogs.
No.
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