Winner of an Oscar Investigators said that before a maintenance worker found the remains of Gene Hackman, his wife, and one of their dogs at their Santa Fe house, they had been dead for a while.
Detectives from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a search warrant that Hackman, 95, was discovered dead in a mudroom on Wednesday and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63, was discovered in a bathroom near a space heater. Near Arakawa, medicines and an open prescription bottle were strewn on a countertop.
According to Denise Avila, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, there was no proof that they had been shot or injured.
The warrant states that after the bodies were found, the New Mexico Gas Co. checked the gas pipes inside and outside the house. There were no indications of any issues at the time, and the Fire Department did not discover any evidence of poisoning or a carbon monoxide leak. Although there were no overt indications of a gas leak, a sheriff’s detective pointed out that individuals exposed to carbon monoxide or gas leaks may not exhibit symptoms of poisoning.
From the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s, the sour-faced but adored Hackman played villains, heroes, and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies, and action movies. He was one of the greatest actors of his generation.
For us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa, but millions of people throughout the world adored and revered him for his outstanding performing career. In a statement released Thursday, his daughters and granddaughter said, “We are devastated by the loss and will miss him sorely.”
Hackman and his wife’s remains were discovered by a worker.
According to investigations, a maintenance worker alerted the police after discovering the dead after reporting that the front door of the house was open when he arrived on Wednesday to perform routine work. According to him and another employee, they hardly ever saw the homeowners, and they had not spoken to them in almost two weeks.
A deputy noticed that Hackman seemed to have fallen. He was dressed in gray sweatpants, slippers, and a blue t-shirt. Nearby were a cane and a pair of sunglasses.
According to police, a deceased German shepherd was discovered in a bathroom closet close to Arakawa. There were two dogs on the property, one outside and one inside, both in good health.
To get more information, the Associated Press called and emailed sheriff’s officials on Thursday. Regarding whether the cause and manner of fatalities had been established, a representative for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which oversees the state’s medical examiner activities, declined to comment.
Versatile actor
Hollywood’s list of the finest American actors of the 20th century frequently featured Hackman. From the comic book villain Lex Luthor in Superman to a coach seeking atonement in the beloved Hoosiers, he could portray almost any kind of character.
Hackman, a five-time Oscar nominee, took home the honors for Unforgiven twenty years later and The French Connection in 1972. Four days prior to this year’s celebration, he passed away.
Hollywood tributes were pouring in.
Gene was the best actor there was. instinctive and intense. Never a fake note. Actor-director Clint Eastwood, who costarred with Hackman in Unforgiven, stated in a statement, “He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Arakawa and Hackman made Santa Fe their home.
According to a 1989 New York Times article, Hackman met Arakawa, a Hawaiian-born pianist with classical training, while she was working part-time at a gym in California in the middle of the 1980s. After a short time together, they moved to Santa Fe at the end of the decade.
Perched on a hill in a gated community with vistas of the Rocky Mountains, their property on Old Sunset Trail is designed in the Southwestern style. According to Santa Fe County property tax records, the expansive four-bedroom house on six acres was constructed in 1997 and was valued at just over $4 million.
A smaller house next door was also owned by Hackman and his spouse.
Additionally, according to publisher Simon & Schuster, Hackman co-wrote three novels, beginning with the swashbuckler Wake of the Perdido Star in 1999 with Daniel Lenihan. After that, he wrote two of his own books, the last of which being Pursuit (2013), which followed a female police officer who was pursuing a predator.
Hackman was frequently spotted in the ancient state capital of New Mexico during his first few decades there, which is renowned as a celebrity hideaway, tourist destination, and artist’s enclave.
According to The New Mexican, the local newspaper, he was a board member of the Georgia O. Keeffe Museum in the 1990s.
Hackman’s later years
Although he was far less visible in recent years, the media took notice of even his most ordinary excursions. In 2018, he went to a performance at a performing arts center, according to an article in The Independent. In 2023, the New York Post included an article about him grabbing a Wendy’s chicken sandwich, doing yard labor, and pumping gas.
He retired from acting over 20 years ago, and aside from attending award events, he was seldom ever spotted on the Hollywood social scene. His was one of the few Hollywood retirements that lasted.
Hackman’s prior marriage produced three children. Despite not having any children together, he and Arakawa were well-known for keeping German shepherds.
In 2020, Hackman told the movie magazine Empire that he and Arakawa enjoyed watching the DVDs she rented.
According to him, we enjoy the straightforward plots that some small, low-budget movies are able to tell.
By BRIAN MELLEY, FELICIA FONSECA, and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press
Melley reported from London, and Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona. Contributions were made by Associated Press journalists Sylvia Hui in London, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles.
