Gene Hackman death latest: Sheriff says Oscar-winning actor’s pacemaker stopped on February 17 – UK Times

Gene Hackman’s daughter Leslie Anne has told The Daily Mail that “there was no indication that there was any problem” with her 95 year-old father’s health prior to his death.

“Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,” she said, adding that he hadn’t had any major surgeries in the months leading up to his death.

“He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.”

She acknowledged that given his age, Hackman’s death was “not terribly shocking” and that Arakawa’s death at 63 raises more questions.

She went on to say that the couple had “a wonderful marriage,” saying: “I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive.”

“[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. So I am appreciative to her for that, and I’m very saddened by her passing.”

Hackman, who was found dead this week at the age of 95, was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors – and one of its least conventional leading men.

It’s hard to imagine anyone like him reaching these levels of success now, writes Louis Chilton.

Police said in a statement: “In the early hours of Thursday, February 27, 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator.

“An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual. Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were requested for both individuals.

“The manner and cause of death has not been determined. The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending. This remains an open investigation.”

According to reports, the full results of the autopsy could take four to six weeks to be determined.

Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter, Annie, have shared a statement with the New York Post.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” they said.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” the statement continued. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

TMZ has obtained the 911 call that first alerted police to the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.

In the call, an unidentified man who describes himself as the “caretaker for the subdivision” can be heard telling an operator to dispatch police to the couple’s residence.

When the operator asks for details about the “patients”, the caretaker replies that he doesn’t know.

“Send somebody up here real quick,” he says through tears. “I’m not inside the house, it’s closed. I can’t go in, but I see them. She’s laying down… over from the window.”

When the operator asks if they appear to be awake, he replies: “No, no, no, no.”

Asked if they’re moving, he contines: “No, dude, they’re not moving. Just send somebody out here. Really quick.”

The operator assures him that units are on the way, and the caretaker says he will meet them at the property’s “gatehouse.”

The interview has today (27 February) resurfaced following the death of the 95-year-old actor, alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their pet dog.

No foul play is suspected, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.

Mendoza told The Santa Fe New Mexican that the couple died around midnight on Thursday. The sheriff did not speculate on their cause of death, which has not been determined.

In the 2004 CNN interview, Hackman said: “I have the normal fear of passing away.”

He added: “I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of.”

Sad and grisly detals about the couple’s death have surfaced in the last 24 hours.

A pair of maintenance workers found the bodies on Wednesday then alerted police, telling officers they hadn’t seen the homeowners in about two weeks. Itr’s believed Hackman may have been dead for a week before his body was found..

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza initially said that foul play was not suspected, although a search warrant affidavit has since ruled their deaths “suspicious” enough to require further investigation.

Perhaps Hackman’s most memorable role was his performance as grizzled detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 crime drama The French Connection – and despite it being one of his most famous roles, it was one the actor never cared to revisit.

The actor watched the film just once, shortly after it was completed – but that was enough for the actor, who won an Oscar for the role.

The couple married in 1991 and moved to New Mexico 12 months later. They began dating in the 1980s after meeting each other in California. Arakawa was a classically trained pianist but the two met at a gym where Arakawa was working.

The couple’s home is in a gated community just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital city. Hackman moved in the 1980s to the area, where he was often seen around town and served as a board member of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in the 1990s, according to the local paper, The New Mexican.

Arakawa was Hackman’s second wife following his divorce from Faye Maltese, who he was married to from 1956 to 1986.

Hackman announced that he had retired from acting in 2008 while promoting his third novel Escape from Andersonville. His final film was the 2004 comedy Welcome to Mooseport where he starred alongside Ray Romano.

In 2022 he made a rare public appearance to attend a show in Santa Fe’s Lensic Center for Performing Arts titled Broadway Confidential which delighted fans in the process.

Read The Independent’s report on Hackman’s rare outing below.