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 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 Friday, Dr Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner at the Office of the Medical Investigator, revealed 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.

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.”

Putting together the timeline has been a “challenge,” Mendoza said. The sheriff’s office plans to dig through the planner and cellphones, which authorities found at the Santa Fe home, to help establish a timeline.

One development did provide crucial context. Recordings from Hackman’s pacemaker revealed that he could have died as early as February 17, more than a week before the couple’s bodies were discovered.

"An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr Hackman's pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025,” Mendoza said at a press conference last Friday. “I was advised that a more thorough investigation will be completed,” he added, but “according to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life.”

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 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.