The seven days Gene Hackman’s wife could no longer care for him
The latest evidence suggests the Marine veteran and actor of consummate precision spent days in the presence of his fallen wife, too disoriented or feeble to call for help.
Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa at the Globe Awards in Hollywood in 2003. AP
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Julia Jacobs and Richard Fausset
Before Gene Hackman faded from public view in his adopted hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the locals would see the ageing movie star on the golf course or in his truck or walking his beloved dogs in the enchanted western city, amid the mesquite, juniper and pinyon pine.
His wife, Betsy Arakawa, was often alongside him. There was much about his life that she managed. She set up the golf games with his friends. She policed his diet, given the heart trouble that had dogged him for decades. She diluted his wine with soda water. She typed and edited the novels he wrote by hand.
