Mystery end of Hollywood legend: Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa deaths ‘suspicious’
While police investigate the unsettling circumstances surrounding the death of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa, tributes roll in for one of the most celebrated actors of the past 60 years.
As he walked up to the front door of 1325 Old Sunset Trail, an olive-green ranch in the hills of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the sheriff’s deputy was almost immediately suspicious.
The two maintenance workers who had called the police stood to one side as the officer, Joshua Thomas, entered the home where Gene Hackman had retreated from public life with his wife and three dogs.
The first body was found quickly – it lay near a counter top in a lavatory to the left of the front door. An orange bottle of prescription pills was open, with tablets scattered.
Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, had clearly been dead for some time. Thomas described “bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet” in his report. Not far from the lavatory, detectives encountered a dead German shepherd, one of three dogs that belonged to the Hollywood star whose work had come to define a generation.
Then, near the kitchen, they saw a pair of legs lying on the ground in grey sweat pants and brown slippers, along with a walking cane. A pair of sunglasses were lying near the body too. It was Hackman, 95, in the property’s “mud room”, similar to a boot room. According to a search warrant filed by the Santa Fe county sheriff’s office, the actor was in a similar state of decomposition.
The couple were found by the workers who carry out maintenance on their home. They said they had not heard from the couple for about two weeks. Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe county sheriff, said foul play was not suspected, though the search warrant states that the deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”.
While detectives investigate, Hollywood has paid tribute to one of the most celebrated actors of the past 60 years. Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner – for 1971’s The French Connection and 1992’s Unforgiven – who was known for adding complexity to his portrayal of a gruff everyman.
Clint Eastwood, who starred alongside and directed Hackman in Unforgiven, said: “There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Hackman in one of his greatest roles, as a private detective in 1974’s The Conversation, said: “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman was a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Also paying tribute was Prince William, who is the president of BAFTA. “So sad to hear the news of the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy,” he said. “Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality.”
Given the unsettling circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hackman, his wife, and his dog, detectives immediately reassured the public that there was no wider threat. Mendoza said there were no obvious signs of trauma and no note.
Hackman’s daughter told the Hollywood news website TMZ that she suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the warrant said there were no obvious signs of a gas leak and the fire department found no sign of carbon monoxide.
Thomas, the sheriff’s deputy, had observed a black space heater near the head of Arakawa, adding that it could have fallen in the event that she “abruptly fell to the ground”. He said he did not find any signs of forced entry into the house or any indication that it had been searched or items removed. The warrant states: “He advised based on his training and experience nothing appeared to be ‘out of place’ while clearing the residence.”
Hackman and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had lived in Santa Fe since at least 2004, after Hackman moved to the city in the 1980s. The couple had been married since 1991. Hackman had three children with his first wife, bank clerk Faye Maltese.
He retired from Hollywood in 2004 and his was the rare actor’s retirement that held. He had established himself as one of the industry’s most talented performers with a decades-long career, appearing in dramas and comedies.
The Times
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