The world has been rocked by the death of Gene Hackman, whose body was found with that of his 63-year-old wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa.
Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner who starred in films including The French Connection, Unforgiven and The Royal Tenenbaums, was 95.
The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with one of their pet dogs. Two healthy dogs were also on the property.
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.
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.
The affidavit states that the front door of the residence was found unsecured and opened. There were no immediate signs of a break-in.
Arakawa was found in a bathroom, with an open pill bottle and medication scattered nearby.
Police also found a space heater near Arakawa’s head, leading a deputy to write in the search warrant it may have fallen if Arakawa suddenly hit the floor.
The dead dog, a German Shepherd, was 10-15 feet from Arakawa, in a closet in the bathroom. One of the healthy dogs was observed running loose on the property.
Arakawa’s body “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” according to the warrant, obtained by Variety and TMZ.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Try for free
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Try for free
Hackman’s body was found in “similar and consistent” condition.
The actor was discovered on the ground near the kitchen in a “mudroom”, an entryway where shoes and coats are often removed, and he appeared to have fallen. A cane and sunglasses were found on the ground nearby.
Police say there’s no immediately clear cause of death, and that they have not discovered any kind of note or final statement.
“At this stage in the process there isn’t anything obvious like that,” Sheriff Mendoza told The New York Times. “The autopsy is going to tell us more.”
The local medical investigator’s office will conduct autopsies of the couple and determine a cause of death.
Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth Jean had earlier speculated that carbon monoxide poisoning may have been the cause.
Testing and observation of the house’s systems from the Santa Fe Fire Department and New Mexico Gas Company did not reveal immediate signs of a leak.
According to Mendoza, the couple died around midnight on Thursday (27 February).
He told The Santa Fe New Mexican: “I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
Since retiring from acting in 2004, Hackman had been open about his health struggles, revealing in 2009 that his doctor wanted him to quit Hollywood due to the stress on his heart.
Hackman told Empire: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
The actor previously told CNN interviewer Larry King that he had angioplasty surgery to heal his angina in the 1990s.
Angioplasty is a medical procedure that restores blood flow to the heart muscle after the coronary arteries become blocked.
“I try to take care of myself,” he said at the time. “I don’t have a lot of fears. 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.”
Hackman had three children – Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie – with his first wife, Faye Maltese. The pair were married from 1956 to 1986. Maltese died in 2017.
