Alzheimer’s and a rare disease: Everything we know about Gene Hackman and wife’s deaths

The world has been rocked by the death of Gene Hackman, whose body was found with that of his 65-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 on Wednesday, February 26, in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with one of their pet dogs. Two healthy dogs were also on the property.

On March 7, Dr Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner at the Office of the Medical Investigator, revealed at a press conference that the couple had both died from natural causes.

Arakawa, she said, died first, possibly up to a week before her husband. Jarrell told reporters that the actor had been in “an advanced state of Alzheimer’s” and that it was “quite possible” that he was not aware that his wife was deceased.

She announced Arakawa’s cause of death was hantavirus — a rare illness contracted via contact with rodents like rats and mice.

Meanwhile, Hackman’s death was tied to heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. “He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death,” Jarrell said.

Authorities are relatively confident that Hackman died on February 18 due to activity recorded on his pacemaker. Arakawa was last seen in public on February 11 and it was initially believed she could have died that evening.

However, on March 17 it emerged that she made a phone call to Cloudberry Health, a local medical concierge service that allows patients to speak to credentialed doctors, on the morning of February 12.

Cloudberry told Good Morning America that Betsy had phoned them to inquire about what they called an “esoteric treatment” that morning.

The medical service also said they detected no indication of breathing issues or distress during the call. They say they called back twice to follow up but their calls went unanswered.

Establishing the exact timeline could be significant in determining the fate of Hackman’s estimated $80 million estate.

It has emerged Hackman left his entire estate to his Arakawa. Hackman’s will, drawn up in 1995, makes no mention of his three children, son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth.

In her own will, Arakawa left most of her assets to Hackman. However, the document also reportedly includes a clause stating that if the couple died within 90 days of each other, it would be considered a simultaneous death and all her assets would be donated to charity.

Hackman’s son Christopher has reportedly already hired Andrew M. Katzenstein, a prominent California trust and estate attorney, which could indicate he plans to challenge his father’s will.

The results of the pet's autopsy are not ready, but authorities say dogs can not carry hantavirus

A pair of maintenance workers found the bodies on February 26 before alerting 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 later ruled their deaths “suspicious” enough to require further investigation.

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 kelpie mix named Zinna, was 10-15 feet from Arakawa, in a closet in the bathroom. A German shepherd named Bear and a second dog named Nikita survived, with one found 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.

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 “suddenly”. A cane and sunglasses were found on the ground nearby.

“There was no indication of a struggle,” Mendoza told the media.

“There was no indication of anything that was missing from the home or disturbed that would be an indication that there was a crime that had occurred.”

Preliminary findings from a medical investigation found that the pair suffered “no external trauma.”

A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said: “In the early hours of Thursday, February 27 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI).

“An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual.”

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. Both tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning, Mendoza said Friday.

A more detailed investigation by the gas company found a “minuscule” leak at one of the stove burners, but it is not believed to have been a contributing factor in the deaths as there was just 0.33% gas in the air, which is not a lethal amount.

In a 911 call, a distressed maintenance worker, who last saw the couple two weeks OK, said he was unable to get inside the house when asked if the people inside were breathing.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I am not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I can see she’s lying down on the floor from the window.”

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’s three children were from his marriage to his first wife, Faye Maltese. The pair were married from 1956 to 1986. Maltese died in 2017.