Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa both died of natural causes, but a week apart, investigators have confirmed.
Hackman was found dead with Arakawa and their dog in their New Mexico home on February 26, after neighbourhood security conducted a welfare check.
Though no foul play was initially suspected, their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”, according to a search warrant affidavit.
There had been some speculation that the couple had died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas leak, but authorities were quick to rule that out as a potential cause, with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office issuing an update based on the New Mexico Gas Company’s “extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Gene Hackman’s home,” conducted on the evening of February 26.
Now, investigators have confirmed the cause of death for both Hackman and Arakawa, finding that they both died of natural causes, but a week apart.
Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents.
She was last seen on 11 February, when she went to a farmers’ market, a pharmacy, and a pet store before returning home in the early evening.
A New Mexico medical investigator said Hackman died from coronary artery disease, and his advanced Alzheimer’s meant it is possible that he was not aware his wife had died in their home several days earlier. Data from Hackman’s pacemaker suggests he died on 18 February.
The couple’s German Shepherd dog was found dead in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. The dog’s autopsy results are not yet ready.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said that officers will continue to consider the investigation open until all loose ends are closed, including the dog’s cause of death, per BBC News.
Hackman was 95, while Arakawa, a classical pianist, was 63. He leaves behind three children: Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, whom he shared with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese, who died in 2017.
A generational acting talent, with a career that spanned over six decades, Hackman has spent the last two decades or so in retirement. In 2008, he officially announced his retirement from acting.
Among the films that starred Hackman over the decades are 1971’s The French Connection, 1974’s The Conversation, 1978’s Superman, 1988’s Mississippi Burning, 1992’s Unforgiven, and 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums. His last feature film role was 2003’s Welcome to Mooseport, in which he starred alongside Ray Romano.
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