Gene Hackman & Wife Betsy’s Cause of Death: How Did
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Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead alongside their dog at their New Mexico home on February 26, 2025. Hackman was 95 years old, and his wife was 65.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the deaths in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican, via The Guardian, on February 27: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday.”
The police are continuing to investigate the cause of death, and new details have come to light about the couple’s final moments. Learn more about the cause of their deaths and the details of their relationship below.
What Happened to Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa?
In Sheriff Mendoza’s initial report, authorities stated they had discovered the bodies of an elderly man and a woman in her 60s. He sought to reassure the public, saying, “I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone. We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths; however, exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
While police initially ruled out foul play, the case later took a turn when investigators described the circumstances as “suspicious” in a search warrant. According to the warrant, the scene raised enough concerns to warrant a thorough investigation. Among the findings: the front door was open and unlocked, one healthy dog was seen running loose on the property, another was found near Arakawa, and a third dog was deceased. A space heater appeared to have been moved and was located near Arakawa.
The warrant also noted that the couple was found in separate rooms of their Santa Fe home and had been dead for some time. Hackman was discovered in a mudroom, while Arakawa was found in a bathroom next to the heater. Nearby, an open prescription bottle and scattered pills were found on a countertop.
The Daily Mail also reported that firefighters were called to the property with worries about a possible gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning, but there were no signs of a gas leak. The outlet added that Hackman was fully clothed, with his sunglasses found next to his body, suggesting he may have died from a sudden fall.
The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa, which were described as “partially mummified” by the Daily Mail, were not formally identified until 12:30 a.m. February 27 (2:30 a.m. ET). The couple had three dogs, and two of them were found alive, roaming the property.
Gene Hackman and His Wife Betsy’s Cause of Death
More than a week after their deaths, the causes were revealed, according to E! News. The outlet reported that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare but severe respiratory illness transmitted through rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. On April 15, authorities released records showing that Arakawa had searched online for flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12.
Arakawa is believed to have died on February 12. Dr. Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist and owner of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, told The Daily Mail that Arakawa had called the clinic and spoken with doctors who advised her to come in that afternoon. “We made her an appointment, but she never showed up,” he said. “She did not show any symptoms of respiratory distress. The appointment wasn’t for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a couple of times with no reply.”
As for Hackman, he is believed to have died around week after his wife on February 18, 2025. The late actor’s cause of death was ruled to be hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which is the hardening of the arteries, with Alzheimer’s Disease acting as a contributing factor, per E! News. The medical investigator pointed out that Hackman’s Alzheimer’s was in an “advanced state,” and “it’s quite possible that he was not aware that [Arakawa] was deceased.”
Hackman and Arakawa’s dog’s death was tied to dehydration and starvation.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa 1989 (Photo by Purschke/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
How Long Were Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Together?
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991. They began dating in the mid-1980s after Hackman separated from his first wife, Faye Maltese, whom he married in 1956 and divorced three decades later.
A 1989 profile in The New York Times noted that Hackman had been living quietly for the past five years with “a 28-year-old woman named Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center.”
Prior to the profile, Hackman clarified in a 1985 interview with the Florida South Sun-Sentinel that his divorce from Maltese was not due to leaving her for a younger woman. He explained, “We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.”
By 1990, Hackman and Arakawa had settled into a newly built home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they lived until their deaths.
Did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Have Children?
Hackman and Arakawa did not have any children together.
However, the actor had three children with his ex-wife, Maltese. His son, Christopher Allen Hackman, was born in 1960, followed by daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman in 1962, and daughter Leslie Ann Hackman in 1966.
