Gene Hackman and Wife Found Dead
[guest post by Dana]
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in New Mexico along with their dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. He was 95.
Their causes of death have not been confirmed, but “the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals (are considered) to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” a sheriff’s deputy said, according to the affidavit for a search warrant obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT.
Hackman was an incredible actor. And one who could transform into a menacing character like no other. For me, however, there are two films that I really liked and believe showcased Hackman’s versatility.
First, in the 1988 film, Mississippi Burning, his role as the heroic, sharp old-school FBI agent Rupert Anderson reveals the heartache of a man who understands all too well the pervasive hatred toward Blacks at that time. It’s a very intense film that covers the disappearance and investigation of three civil rights workers in 1964 in Mississippi. At turns, tender-hearted toward Frances McDormand’s character, and then deeply angry and frustrated by circumstances of Mississippi and the Deep South, he is never not amazing to watch.
And second, his chilling role as Little Bill Daggett, the cruel and dangerous sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, Unforgiven. Always in tight control of a small town called Big Whisky in the 1880’s, residents live in fear of Little Bill, until one day, his character instinctively feels threatened when Eastwood’s anti-hero Will Munny rides into town. In this film, Hackman’s Little Bill is as menacing as menacing can get.
I was going to post a few clips from each film, but they’re a bit too rough.
You can read more on Gene Hackman here.
RIP.
-Dana
Hello.
Dana (a9167e) — 2/27/2025 @ 11:52 amThe family probably assumed carbon monoxide poisonings based on the bare facts – both dead and their dog.
But that does not seem likely. They were found in separate rooms; it looks like they took pills; and the door to from the outside was open.
By the way, two dogs were found alive. And they probably died several days ago. Police were called to the gated community for a welfare check.
Gene Hackman was 95 – his current wife, to whom he was married to for more than 30 years, was in her mid-60s.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/27/2025 @ 1:10 pmThey were so despondent over the death of the one dog they killed themselves? Not sure I buy that either. It is possible that Hackman died of natural causes and his widow chose to end it. Still can’t figure the dog.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/27/2025 @ 1:19 pmThe dog may have chowed down on pills.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/27/2025 @ 2:50 pmMy favorite Hackman film is The Conversation, and one of the reasons is how film preserves the locations where they are shot. The scene in Union Square preserves what it looked like in the ’70s, it looks nothing like that now.
Fun factoid: In Enemy of the State, a computer screen uses a picture of him as Harry Caul from The Conversation.
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Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/27/2025 @ 3:09 pmThe Conversation is a great film and well reflects the cynicism of the era.
He was a terrible Luthor though.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/27/2025 @ 3:37 pmOther great Hackman films
The Unforgiven
Kevin M (a9545f) — 2/27/2025 @ 3:51 pmThe French Connection
Mississippi Burning
Hoosiers
Get Shorty
Crimson Tide
Absolute Power
My 93-year-old mother has mentioned only two celebrities whom she considers as having sex appeal: Dr. Drew Pinsky and Gene Hackman.
norcal (a72384) — 2/27/2025 @ 5:26 pmAgree with your mother re Hackman, norcal.
Dana (2c7ded) — 2/27/2025 @ 10:37 pmAgree with your mother re Hackman, norcal.
Dana (2c7ded) — 2/27/2025 @ 10:37 pm
Well, then my mother is in good company. 😉
norcal (a72384) — 2/27/2025 @ 11:25 pmIf you have elderly parents, two weeks is too long to not check up on them.
lloyd (afee54) — 2/28/2025 @ 5:44 amThe children of Gene Hackman were children by his first wife. His children may not have realized that literally, no one regularly saw them. Maybe people could see them more often but they didn’t miss them.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 2/28/2025 @ 12:27 pmThe New York Post had a story headlined
It’s at mot nine days – at least for gene Hackman himself. His wife may have died earlier. They know the time Gene Hackman died because he had a pacemaker which recorded the time and the last event was on February 17, 2025. They both appear to have fallen, and one of their three dogs (a German shepherd) was found dead in a closet. Maintenance workers found them nine days later.
They were tested for carbon monoxide and it was not found to be involved. A full toxically report could take weeks or months.
One possibility is that Gene Hackman suffered a heart attack, and then his wife committed suicide and killed her dog.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 3/3/2025 @ 11:35 am+
It turned out that Gene Hackman’s wife died first and Gene Hackman days later. They wee kind of hinting at it before.
You can make a good guess at the timing.
Betty Arakawa used her remote control clicker to enter the gated community for the last time at 5:15 pm Tuesday, February 11. She had made a visit to a CVS at 4:12 pm that day and also a visit to a pet store.
She had taken her dog from the veterinarian in a crate on Sunday February 9, and the dog was still in the crate and dead days later. A necropsy had not yet been conducted on the dog by Australian Kelpie mix. It was an Australian Kelpie mix named Zinna. It was a returned shelter dog which Betty Arakawa loved very much. It could have died from dehydration or starvation
Two other dogs, both German shepherds were found alive and healthy, one inside the house and one outside so they must have had food and water available for them. (Unless Gene Hackman gave them that)
She had unopened emails from February 11 (no word about what was her usual pattern of checking emails)
She is suspected of dying from hantavirus (which is somewhat known in New Mexico, and has been known for about 40-50 years) It was reported to the CDC by the medical examiner of New Mexico, Dr. Heather Jarrell.
Only 865 cases in the United States were reported total between 1993 and 2022. There are between one and seven confirmed infections a year in New Mexico. When diagnosed they are often fatal, killing more than 40 percent of people who have contracted the disease in New Mexico over the past 50 years.
It is spread by dust from deer mice but not thought to be transmitted person to person.
Symptoms develop 1 to 2 weeks after exposure, (although it can be up to 8 weeks it is thought) but that may be wrong) and the person begins to feel sick 3 to 6 days before death, which comes from trouble breathing. A person gets flu like symptoms, like fever and nausea.
The capillaries in the lungs become leaky, causing the lungs to fill with fluid. The heart becomes inflamed, and then patients may find it difficult to breathe.
When it gets going, it kills relatively quickly. It causes shortness of breath, as well as cardiac and lung failure. There is no special treatment except oxygen and drinking plenty of fluids and whatever you do for a cold, as well as medication to support blood pressure.
It was not possible to tell from surveillance video shot February 11 how she was feeling then. She didn’t take the dog out of its create for at least two days. That must mean something.
She probably felt weak, but expected to get better.
She was found dead on the floor of a bathroom with pills scattered around. They were thyroid pills, (or for a thyroid condition) believed to have no connection with her death. She was evidently planning to take thyroid medication, but failed.
There was a low risk of exposure to hantavirus in the house itself, but there were signs of rodents in other structures on the property.
Gene Hackman fell down at the entrance to his home (called a mud room) with his cane nearby. They didn’t say if he appeared to coming in or going out.
His pacemaker showed cardiac activity on Monday February 17, and on Tuesday February 18 his pacemaker showed “abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrillation” when is probably when he died.
He had what is described as “advanced Alzheimer’s” and may not have realized his wife was dead or that anything was seriously amiss.
There was no food in his stomach but he was not dehydrated, indicating that he knew to drink water and probably perform some other bodily functions.
Their bodies were discovered on Wednesday February 26. A maintenance worker arrived to the couple’s home and grew worried when no one answered. The worker contacted a security guard, who called 911.
Hackman retired in 2004 and gave an interview explaining why he retired to Esquire in 2009. He had had multiple surgeries for the heart and problems with the kidneys related to chronic high blood pressure. He probably stopped taking pills after his wife got very sick and died.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 3/10/2025 @ 2:43 pm