Timing of Gene Hackman’s death could impact how his multimillion-dollar fortune is settled

The death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman one week after his wife Betsy Arakawa has implications for how the Oscar-winning actor’s fortune is divvied up.

The death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman one week after his wife Betsy Arakawa could impact how the Oscar-winning actor’s $A127 million Hollywood fortune is settled, lawyers have revealed.

Details of how Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, died were released last week following an investigation by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator and Santa Fe Sheriff’s office after the discovery of the couple’s bodies at their home on February 26 by a caretaker of the gated community where they lived.

Arakawa, a concert pianist, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a rare virus transmitted by rodents, on about February 11 and was found in the bathroom of the couple’s home along with one of the couple’s three dogs, also dead.

Hackman, likely died on February 18 from heart disease after spending one week alone in the home with his wife’s body, county sheriff Adam Mendoza revealed at a press conference on Friday.

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa before they disappeared from the public eye and she became his full-time carer. Picture: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell speculated that it was “quite possible” Hackman, who showed “evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” did not realise his wife was dead.

The week-long difference in the deaths may play a role in how the couple’s property -including their $A6 million Santa Fe home and other assets in Hackman’s estimated $A128 million fortune – are divided.

Under New Mexico law, had the couple died within 120 hours of each other, their deaths would have been classified as ‘simultaneous’.

This may have impacted how the estates of Hackman and Arakawa, who had no children, were divided.

The timing of the couple’s deaths could now impact any inheritance that Hackman’s son and two daughters from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese — Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie — receive.

Hackman’s estate may be now be divided among his beneficiaries other than Arakawa, experts say.

Lawyer Kevin Holmes said: “In a lot of states, including New Mexico, there’s a kind of presumptive triggering deadline of five days before you’re considered having survived under the terms of most wills.”

Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa. Picture: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991 but not a lot is known about the couple’s relationship.

Holmes said it would be likely that the couple both consulted lawyers and had written individual or possibly used a tax-friendly trust.

Often, married couples with wills leave each other their entire estate.

But any wills or trust could lay out a timeline for simultaneous death that is different to the 120-hour period detailed in New Mexico state law and other unknowns could come into play in coming weeks.

Another important factor could be the date on which any will or legal documents were signed, he added. That’s especially true for Hackman, given his deterioration from Alzheimer’s, as any recent updates to his papers could be queried.

Hackman and his wife Arakawa with Hackman’s daughters Leslie and Elizabeth in 1996.

Other unknown factors include whether Hackman and Arakawa made any pre-nuptial or postnuptial agreements, and if any children or other potential beneficiaries will make claims on the estate.

And though there is likely to be some action in the coming days, the whole process could take much longer because under New Mexico law, family members and others have three years after a person’s death to file a probate case.

Despite each of the deaths being ruled as natural, with no signs of internal or external trauma, Mendoza has insisted authorities are not done with the investigation.

Specifically, the sheriff said officers are waiting to see the couple’s cell phone records, as well as the results of a necropsy, or autopsy, that is set to be conducted on their deceased dog.

According to a search warrant obtained by DailyMail.com detectives listed two mobile phones among the items taken from their home.

BRUCE WILLIS’ WIFE, CARER SPEAKS OUT

Emma Heming shared her thoughts on Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths from a caregiver’s perspective.

The model, who is her husband Bruce Willis’ caretaker, acknowledged via Instagram that she would not “normally comment on” the French Connection star’s “tragic passing.”

Heming explained, “I do really believe that there is some learning in this story. It’s just made me think of this broader story, and that is that caregivers need care too and that they are vital.

Bruce Willis (R) and his wife Emma Heming before he retired from acting and received care for aphasia. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“It is so important that we show up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person,” she continued.

The actor attempted to clarify the “misconception that caregivers [have] got it figured out.”

She noted, “[People think] they’ve got it covered. They’re good. I don’t subscribe to that. I think that we need to be showing up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.”

Heming reiterated this in her video’s caption, writing, “Caregivers need care too. Period. Full stop. #supportcaregivers.”

The businesswoman has frequently spoken about the struggles of caregiving since revealing Willis’ frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023, one year after sharing the Die Hard star’s aphasia battle.

Heming once clapped back at claims she has used Willis’ health struggles for “five minutes” of fame.

“I’m going to take my five minutes and I’m gonna turn it into 10 because I’m always going to advocate for my husband,” she quipped in May 2023.

“And then I’m going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness into something good around something that feels less than.”

This article first appeared in the New York Post.

Originally published as Timing of Gene Hackman’s death could impact how his multimillion-dollar fortune is settled