WHAT A GOD AWFUL WAY FOR GENE AND HIS WIFE TO DIE

Starving and confused. Dogs going mad... not even knowing his wife was dead: Awful way a Hollywood great died

 

By Eve Buckland 

Daily Mail

Mat 7, 2025

 

Gene Hackman and hia wife Betsy Arakawa are pictured with two of their three dogs. One of their dogs Zinna also died in their home 

 

He was one of Hollywood's greats, winning two Oscars, counting Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman as close friends and starring in numerous history-making roles. 

But Gene Hackman's lonely end in the mud room of his Santa Fe mansion - a week after the death of his wife in the bathroom from a rat-borne virus - was as far away from the spotlight as possible.

Police confirmed Friday that Hackman, 95, died from cardiovascular disease around February 18 - days after Betsy Arakawa, 65, succumbed to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in their bathroom around February 11.

Officials said Hackman - whose battle with advanced Alzheimer's was confirmed publicly on Friday - tragically may not even have known his wife had died.

HPS, which initially presents with flu like symptoms, can progress rapidly, leading to breathing problems, low blood pressure, and organ failure.

The scene of chaos in the bathroom tells a grim tale of a swift decline by Arakawa. 

She was found lying on the floor with her head next to a space heater with thyroid medication pills scattered around her. 

 

Gene Hackman met a lonely in the mud room of his Santa Fe mansion on February 18 - a week after the death of his wife Betsy Arakawa in the bathroom from a rat-borne virus - seen 1992

Hackman's life until 2004 was lived in the Hollywood glare - he is pictured with friend and Unforgiven co-star Clint Eastwood at the 1993 Oscars 

 

Unforgiven star Hackman may have wandered around the sprawling 9000 square foot home, lost and confused, for seven days - without his partner of three decades by his side to feed and care for him, or look after their three treasured dogs,

Left to fend for himself and with his wife's body decomposing in their bathroom, Hackman, who was already in 'very poor health' went without food.

An autopsy showed his stomach was empty at the time of his death.

Hackman was found dead with his cane and sunglasses by his side in a room just off the kitchen following an apparent fall - hinting he may have been on his way out of the home before his weak heart gave in.

His pacemaker's last recorded activity was on February 18 - but help would not arrive until over a week later.

The reclusive couple's dogs, who were lovingly cared for by the couple, were also left alone.

Their pet Zinna, who had been picked up by Arakawa from a veterinary hospital on February 9 - two days before her death - was found dead in a a kennel in a bathroom closet about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa's partially mummified remains.

Officials believe the animal had been crated due to the recent medical care it had received. 

A German Shepherd named Bear and a second dog named Nikita were found running around the 12 acre property - with a dog door allowing them access to food and water.

 

He was found dead with his cane and sunglasses by his side in a room just off the kitchen after an apparent fall, hinting he may have been on his way out before his weak heart gave in - pictured 1991 

Hackman, 95, died from heart disease a week after his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, succumbed to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - and police said the Alzheimer's stricken star may not have known she was dead - pictured 2024

Left to fend for himself and with his wife's body decomposing in their bathroom, Hackman, who was already in 'very poor health' went without food - pictured 1992

Unforgiven star Hackman may have wandered around the sprawling 9000 square foot home (pictured), lost and confused, for seven days with the couple's dogs running loose

 

The dogs were discovered loose when the mummified bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were discovered on February 26 by two maintenance workers.

Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator for the state of New Mexico, said their deaths had both been ruled as natural, and that no signs of internal or external trauma were found.

This followed days of intense speculation around the mysterious deaths. 

A CDC source told DailyMail.com that while the couple's main home did not show any signs of rodent activity, some of the property's outbuildings - including a garage and two casitas - had rodent droppings and other evidence of rodent activity. 

Hantavirus is typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas. 

While hantavirus is found throughout the world, most cases in the U.S. have been found in western states. 

The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection. Symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. 

The mortality of the hantavirus strain in the south west of the United States is about 38% to 50%, and is not transmissible from person to person, Dr Jarrell added. 

Jarrell said there was no reliable method to get an exact time for death, but concluded that Hackman probably died around February 18. 

On February 11, they said she had an email conversation with her massage therapist before later in the afternoon going to a farmers market. 

 

Hackman - who was devoted to his wife - was forced to face death - without her by his side - pictured 1994

 

She was caught on CVS surveillance footage shortly after the market, before then going to a local pet food store. 

Her car was then seen on surveillance entering the gated community at 5:15pm on February 11. 

Officials said that numerous emails went unopened on February 11, and that there was no further communication from her account after that day.

Detectives are still waiting on retrieving her full cell phone data, but said her last known activity was February 11. 

Jarrell said: 'Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer´s disease,' Jarrell said. 

 

Chief Medical Investigator Heather Jarrell confirmed Hackman was in a 'very poor state of health'

 

'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.'

Officials had also said that there was no trace of carbon monoxide in the bodies of the couple.

Hackman's daughter Elizabeth had earlier floated a theory that the couple had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which authorities officially quashed last week. 

She told TMZ that the family believed their deaths came about after inhaling the toxic fumes. 

Hackman shared three children with his first wife Faye Maltese. He and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had been married for the last three decades.

The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the finest actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

 

Santa Fe County deputies are pictured outside the New Mexico home 

Hackman and Arakawa are pictured with Hackman's daughters Leslie and Elizabeth at a Beverly Hills movie premiere in 1996  

 

He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for The French Connection in 1972 and Unforgiven two decades later. 

Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s.

They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade had decamped to Santa Fe.

A naturally private man, Hackman was labelled a recluse as he remained out of the public eye for years on end following his retirement from the movie industry. He retired from acting in 2004. 

Friends occasionally shared glimpses of his post-acting life, including social media shots of fishing expeditions - while paying tribute to his silver screen triumphs. He would also occasionally be spotted pedaling around Santa Fe on a bicycle.

The couple´s stucco, Pueblo-revival style home sits on a hill in a gated community at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Santa Fe is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.

Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels far from Hollywood´s social circuit. 

He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O´Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and his wife were investors in local businesses.

 

Hackman won his second Oscar for his role as a brutal sheriff in 1992's Unforgiven

 

In an interview with Empire in 2020, he said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented. 

Hackman said: 'We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.

'Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing.'