Gene Hackman's family break silence after he's found dead with wife and fog
Gene Hackman's daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter, Annie, have shared a statement
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What we know about Gene Hackman and wifeâs âsuspiciousâ deaths
Hollywood star died at the same time as wife of 34 years and one of their pet dogs
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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 hadnât 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 âsuspiciousâ 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.
Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman were found dead in their home (Bei/Shutterstock )Arakawa was found in a bathroom, with an open pill bottle and medication scattered nearby.
Police also found a space heater near Arakawaâs 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.
Arakawaâs body âshowed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,â according to the warrant, obtained by Variety and TMZ.
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Try for freeHackmanâs body was found in âsimilar and consistentâ condition.
The actor was discovered on the ground near the kitchen in a âmudroomâ, 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 thereâs no immediately clear cause of death, and that they have not discovered any kind of note or final statement.
âAt this stage in the process there isnât anything obvious like that,â Sheriff Mendoza told The New York Times. âThe autopsy is going to tell us more.â
The local medical investigatorâs office will conduct autopsies of the couple and determine a cause of death.
Hackmanâs daughter Elizabeth Jean had earlier speculated that carbon monoxide poisoning may have been the cause.
Testing and observation of the houseâs 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: âI want to assure the community and neighbourhood that thereâs no immediate danger to anyone.â
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: âThe straw that broke the camelâs back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasnât in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.â
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991 (2003 AP )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.
âI try to take care of myself,â he said at the time. âI donât 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.
âI want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I donât have a lot of fears.â
Hackman had three children â Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie â with his first wife, Faye Maltese. The pair were married from 1956 to 1986. Maltese died in 2017.
 February 27, 2025 Congratulations […] %23mummypig)
