Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe residence on February 26. The couple's remains were partially found decomposed and mummified, with experts believing they could have been there for around 15 days before police intervention. Following an autopsy, it was revealed that Hackman died from heart disease worsened by Alzheimer's about a week after Arakawa's death, which was caused by hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted by rodents.
The exact timeline has revealed a chilling mistake the actor made before his death that now leaves his £62million fortune in limbo. Hackman, who is believed to have died around February 18, had a living trust in place, and now there is no one still alive who can manage it. It is unclear what will be done with the couple's wealth as neither he nor Betsy had named any family in their wills.
The tragic ending for Gene and Betsy has somewhat eclipsed the happy 30 years they spent together and the idyllic life they'd cultivated in New Mexico. However, friends and co-workers are now sharing memories of them, with some in the documentary 'Last Days of Gene Hackman: ABC News Special'. Estate agent Kevin Bobolsky said: "He was a gentle giant, very calm. Betsy, I think, mostly did all the cooking and cleaning on this big estate out of love. She just adored him. So they had everything they wanted."
Meanwhile, the actor’s publicist Susan Madore revealed details of his life in Santa Fe. Having worked with for 27 years, Susan says he moved him move to county in the 90s to lead “an artistic life” away from the spotlight. She says that he even bought a plot of land next to a garbage dump so he could go on peaceful bike rides without any disturbances.
She told Rolling Stone: “He wanted the privacy of being able to ride his bike without anyone following him or observing him. She also revealed that Betsy had called her after they'd bought the plot of land because “she wanted me to be aware if anyone called asking why Mr. Hackman lived at the dump.”
Last month, the Hackman family estate made moves to block the release of post-mortem documents by the Office of the Medical Investigator and the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office regarding autopsy reports. In a bid for privacy, Kurt Sommer, representing the estate during Monday's hearing, insisted that the couple had always strived to shun the spotlight and argued that their right to control their names and likenesses should be preserved even after death.
