Hollywood woke up to terrible news as headlines were buzzing that legendary actor Gene Hackman had passed away at the age of 95. He was considered one of the greatest actors of his time and had a long illustrious career spanning several decades. In addition to this, what also shocked everyone was that his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa, was also found dead along with one of their pet dogs.
While this surely left everyone in utter disbelief, it also opened doors for several rumours. Fans and his well-wishers wanted to get answers as to what actually happened. More than that, they thought if any foul play was involved in their deaths, as both the husband and wife being found dead at the same time was something that looked suspicious.
Given the severity of the case, the authorities immediately took action and tried to unravel the details. After these shocking revelations emerged, in this article we will dive deeper into everything that the police investigation revealed in the deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa.
How were Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa discovered?
Gene Hackman brought forth a plethora of well-acclaimed movies, such as The French Connection and Unforgiven, to name a few. Not to forget that both of these movies also helped him bag two Academy Awards in 1971 and 1992, respectively. So, when the news of his death spread like wildfire on the news channel, people wanted to know more about the details surrounding it.
After retiring from Hollywood in 2004, the actor shifted to the quiet life of Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
Everything seemed alright until February 2025, when maintenance people and neighbours started noticing that they hadn’t heard from the actor or his wife for weeks. Adding more to this was that their mails were piling up with nobody collecting them, and the house remained locked as well. So, on February 26, two maintenance workers arrive at their residence for routine checks.
After knocking on the door several times, there was no response from inside. They obviously grew suspicious and tried to look through the window to see if anybody was present in the house or not. When they did that, they immediately called 911, and after the police arrived on the scene, they entered the house and discovered a deeply disturbing scene.
Arakawa was found deceased on the bathroom floor, near a scattered bottle of pills and a space heater, via CBS News.
Hackman was discovered in a different part of the house and was lying near the kitchen in a mudroom (an area typically used to remove shoes and coats). His walking cane and sunglasses were also nearby, suggesting that he may have collapsed suddenly. Also surprisingly, one of their three pet dogs was also found dead in a closet, while the other two dogs survived and were found roaming the property.
The authorities initially ruled out foul play, but because of the unusual circumstances of their deaths, they made the decision to conduct a deeper investigation.
How long were Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa dead?
Before jumping straight to the investigation, the police authorities had to answer one of the biggest questions surrounding Hackman and his wife’s death. This being that, how long were they dead before the police found them? To establish a proper timeline, they dug deeper into their emails, phone call records, medical devices, and surveillance footage to piece together their final days.
After everything, the examiners came to a conclusion that Arakawa died first, likely around February 11. They arrived on this as she was last seen alive that afternoon when she was running errands in town. Also, she had sent an email to her massage therapist that morning but never responded to any messages after that day. Her remains also showcased signs of mummification for at least two weeks by the time authorities had found her.
Gene Hackman, on the other hand, was believed to have been alive for at least a week after his wife passed away. His pacemaker recorded its last activity on February 18, which helped investigators to conclude that this was likely the day he had passed away. Out of all of this, one of the most heartbreaking possibilities raised by medical experts was that the actor who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease might not have even realised that his wife had passed away.
Also, with no one checking in on them with no immediate relative or family nearby, chances are that the actor remained in the house alone. Possibly he was also unable to feed himself, call for help, or actually understand what was happening.
What was the actual cause of their deaths?
The medical examiner of the case officially confirmed on March 7 the cause of death for both Hackman and Betsy Arakawa. For the latter, it was revealed that she died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This is a rare but deadly respiratory infection caused by exposure to rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. On the other hand, the actor died from complications of advanced heart disease, which was worsened by his weak condition and prolonged distress.
In the midst of this, fans wondered how Arakawa got exposed to this syndrome. While it’s not contagious between humans, it does get transmitted when people inhale particles from rodent droppings or urine. New Mexico public health officials also confirmed that rodent activity was present in some structures on Hackman’s property via CBS News. This obviously led them to suspect that she might have caught the syndrome from here.
On Hackman’s health, it was revealed that he was suffering from advanced stage Alzheimer’s, which had also made him quite dependent on his wife for daily care. The decline of which likely resulted in his death, as he likely struggled to function, which led to severe malnutrition, dehydration, and ultimately heart failure.
Fear of death that haunted Hollywood legend Gene Hackman
From his breakout role in Bonnie and Clyde to his Oscar-worthy performance in Unforgiven, Gene Hackman truly deserved the illustrious fame he had. But there was one fear that haunted him as well, and he detailed the same in a 2004 interview with Larry King. The actor had candidly discussed his health and fears. He added that he had undergone an angioplasty 12 to 14 years prior due to severe angina.
When the king asked him about his fears, he detailed that just like everyone, he was also afraid to die. But this was due to the fact that he wanted to ensure that his wife and family were taken care of. He said via Irish Star:
I have the normal fear of passing away. You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age. I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.
The duo were happily married for more than three decades, and their relationship was a perfect mix of mutual respect and deep affection. After his health declined significantly, she became his sole carer to look after his every need.
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