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After a storied career, that included over 70 film credits and two Academy Awards, Gene retired from film in 2004, after making his last appearance in Welcome to Mooseport. Five years after trading in the lights of Hollywood for a quieter life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife Betsy Arakawa—and 16 years before his death at the age of 95—the French Connection star finally explained why. “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” Gene said in an interview with Empire magazine published in 2009. “The doctor advised...

Surprising Detail, Twist In Gene Hackman's Will Revealed By Jason Hall March 14, 2025 Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Portrait Photo: Getty Images Legendary actor Gene Hackman's children were reportedly left out of his will, TMZ reports. Hackman, 95, made his wife, Betsy Arakawa, the sole beneficiary of his fortune in 1995, leaving out his son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth. Arakawa, 65, who is suspected to have died one week before her husband, had also reportedly listed Hackman as the sole beneficiary in her own will and documents allegedly show that her savings would be donated to charity...

Gene Hackman may not have realized his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, was dead during his final weeks due to his advanced Alzheimer’s, according to forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden. The legendary actor died due to hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributing factor, New Mexico officials confirmed Friday.

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...

Hantavirus is a rare but highly fatal virus, federal health officials say. Authorities said Friday that actor Gene Hackman died of Alzheimer’s and heart failure a week after his wife died of hantavirus, a rare viral infection. Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb. 26 in the couple’s Santa Fe home, while a bottle of pills was discovered next to the body of his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning also tested negative. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and other officials announced the development in a news conference in New Mexico,...

Authorities revealed Friday that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease and showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease a full week after his wife died of hantavirus in their home. The rare but deadly virus is most commonly spread through breathing in contaminated air. Since the end of 2022, 864 cases of hantavirus disease have were reported in the United States since surveillance began in 1993. Advertisement Hantaviruses can infect and cause serious diseases in people worldwide, according to the CDC. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and...

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.

The causes of deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were revealed by authorities on Friday, more than one week after the couple was mysteriously found dead their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home.

Gene Hackman’s sad passing motivated me to post this as a new thread. There are alarm companies that will call you every single day to see if you’re okay. The cost is reasonable, maybe $40 a month. Every older or handicapped person (or couple) should seriously consider getting such a service.

Actor Gene Hackman, 95, was found dead inside his home today along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog. The initial report was that the couple perished through carbon monoxide poisoning, but that was quickly updated as something seems off about how the bodies were discovered. Reportedly, Hackman and his wife had been dead for quite some time, their bodies mummified, with pills all over the place, and the front door was open. The couple hadn’t been seen or heard from in about two weeks (via NY Post): Authorities said the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to...

Words you see a lot on Gene Hackman’s extensive film resume: Lieutenant, Sergeant, Detective, Sheriff. The movie star, who was found dead Wednesday at age 95 at home in New Mexico, was famous for playing admirals, generals, multiple (fictitious) presidents, coaches, a reverend, a senator and myriad other upright authority figures over his five-decade career in Hollywood. But his portrayals, like his life, were full of fascinating contradictions. Popeye Doyle wasn’t just another detective, and Gene Hackman was not just another actor. Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California, in 1930 and eventually settled with his grandmother in Danville, Illinois.

-snip- The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found dead in separate bedrooms of their Santa Fe home, police revealed. One of their three dogs was also found dead inside a kennel. Police have said that no foul play is suspected and that two dogs survived the triple tragedy. While the bodies were found Wednesday afternoon, police were not able to identify them as the actor and Arakawa until Thursday morning, according to KOB 4. -snip- Hackman and his wife were found in separate rooms The actor and his wife's bodies were found in separate rooms of their...

Legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman has been found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, citing police. Santa Fe County police discovered the body of the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and 63-year-old Arakawa — his wife of 34 years — and their dog on Wednesday afternoon. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the news on Thursday, saying no foul play is suspected.

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was found dead last week at age 95. Following news of his death, a resurfaced 2001 interview with James Lipton for Inside the Actors Studio began making the rounds on social media. A clip of the interview focuses on the lasting pain Hackman suffered when his father abandoned the family. Lipton asked Hackman how old he was when his father left. Hackman replied, “I was about 13 I guess. I was down the street playing with some guys, and he drove by and kind of waved and that was it.” Hackman appeared to get choked up...

Gene Hackman's daughter Leslie has broken her silence following her father's mysterious death in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com. The 95-year-old actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead on Wednesday in separate rooms of their $3.8 million Santa Fe, New Mexico home. A neighbor of the couple called emergency services after discovering the bodies. One of their three dogs was found dead inside the house, while two others were found alive. One of Gene's three children, Leslie Anne Hackman, told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the family is waiting to hear from law enforcement regarding the cause...

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found partially-mummified at the couple's $3.3 million mansion, with pills strewn in their bathroom. An arrest warrant obtained by DailyMail.com revealed Arakawa, 64, was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Sheriffs said Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife. Mummification occurs when a person's skin and tissues are preserved after their death. While most associate it with ancient Egyptians wrapping the corpses of pharaohs in bandages, it can also be achieved if a body is left in a...

-snip- According to a search warrant, obtained by TMZ, a Santa Fe detective who sought a search warrant wrote in his affidavit, he believes "the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened...

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in New Mexico along with their dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. He was 95. Their causes of death have not been confirmed, but foul play is not suspected, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila told CNN on Thursday morning.

Sheriff: Gene Hackman, wife found dead in Santa Fe home; no foul play suspected By Nicholas Gilmore ngilmore@sfnewmexican.com Nicholas Gilmore Feb 27, 2025 Updated 55 mins ago Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2003, where he would receive the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B deMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press file photo Legendary actor, two-time Oscar winner and author Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead Wednesday afternoon in...

Gene Hackman, 94, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 62, were seen out and about in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday for the first time in two decades. The reclusive actor, who has not starred in a film for the past 20 years, was spotted holding onto his wife's arm for balance as the pair grabbed a bite at Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen. The legendary two-time Oscar winner and his long-time partner seemed to be in a good mood as they left the restaurant together.