Gene Hackman’s children not named in actor’s $80 million will

The fallout from Gene Hackman’s death is set to continue, following the release of the actor’s final will and testament, which leaves his entire estate to his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who died alongside him.

Legal documents obtained by the BBC show Hackman, 95, named Arakawa as his sole beneficiary in 1995, with the last update to the will in 2005. The two-time Academy Award winner left a fortune of $US80 million ($126 million).

Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa at the Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood in 2003.Credit: AP

Arakawa, 65, was found dead alongside her husband in their New Mexico home last month, and there was no mention in the will of his three children with his late ex-wife Faye Maltese – Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58.

The bodies of the married couple and one of their dogs were found on February 26 in separate rooms of their Santa Fe home. Autopsy results revealed that Hackman was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s and died of heart disease, probably days after Arakawa died of a rare syndrome spread by mice.

Arakawa’s own will left her assets to Hackman, with a provision that if they died within 90 days of each other, her estate would go to a trust and later be donated to charity.

Gene Hackman’s children Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie were not mentioned in his will.Credit: Getty

However, according to the BBC, Hackman’s children will still potentially inherit his fortune despite not being named in the will. Attorney Julia Peters has been appointed as the executor of both wills and, on March 7, notice of her appointment as Hackman’s personal representative was mailed out to his three children.

A week later, on March 13, Peters filed documents to the Santa Fe probate court, stating that the Oscar winner’s will identifies the three as his heirs.

This means that though they were not directly named in the will, given the unique circumstances of their father’s passing, Hackman’s children will likely be the beneficiary of his estate.

While the future of Hackman’s estate will play out in court, a new autopsy report has revealed the likely cause of Hackman’s beloved dog’s death. According to the report from the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab, the dog, which was an Australian kelpie mix named Zinfandel or “Zinna”, died from dehydration and starvation.

It is understood the dog’s stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.

Their two other dogs were found alive. According to the sheriff, they appeared to have access to a doggy door; one dog was found near Arakawa’s body, and the other was located outside. Joey Padilla, who owns Santa Fe Tails, where Hackman and Arakawa often boarded their dogs, told ABC News earlier this month that he had the two surviving dogs in his care.

“They are safe and adjusting,” Padilla said. “I will be holding on to them until I get word on what Betsy’s wishes for these dogs are.”

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