Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their home last week, leaving many unanswered questions. While authorities ruled out foul play, a forensic pathologist has now provided a possible explanation for their tragic deaths.
The entertainment world is mourning the sudden demise of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa. The couple, along with one of their dogs, were found deceased under mysterious circumstances on February 26, 2025, in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home. Hackman was 95; Arakawa was 65.
Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman during the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 19, 2003 | Source: Getty Images
According to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, there was no immediate indication of foul play. He did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have died. However, the circumstances surrounding their passing remain a mystery.
Hackman had lived in Santa Fe since the 1980s. He married Arakawa in 1991, and the two lived a private life in their secluded home. Before their bodies were found, deputies had arrived at their residence on Old Sunset Trail after receiving an unspecified report. It remains unclear whether it was a welfare check or a response to a call.
Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Hackman attend Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 21, 1994, at Morton’s Restaurant in West Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
It was during this time that the cops discovered their lifeless bodies. As authorities pieced together a timeline, one detail stood out — Hackman’s pacemaker had stopped functioning on February 17. They suggested that the actor may have been dead for nine days before being discovered.
“I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life,” Mendoza told reporters at a press conference on Friday, Feb. 28.
