Hollywood legend Gene Hackman was finally laid to rest in New Mexico next to wife Betsy Arakawa after they were found dead at their Santa Fe ranch home back in February
Gene Hackman’s burial details have emerged.
The 95-year-old Hollywood legend and his wife Betsy, 65, were found dead inside their Santa Fe home in February – their bodies were found partially decomposed and mummified. The actor died of coronary artery disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor.
Betsy, a classical musician, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare virus transmitted by infected rodents such as rats. A final autopsy recently revealed sad new details about her passing from the virus.
Gene has now been laid to rest on the outskirts of New Mexico, next to wife Betsy. However, the legendary actor’s grave has been left unmarked, according to MailOnline.
It’s believed his final farewell was orchestrated by his children who were excluded from his will and therefore have potentially missed out on his £61million fortune. There is currently uncertainty around who will inherit Gene’s estate as his kids Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie were not named as beneficiaries.
The actor’s death has sparked a potential legal battle over his huge $80m (£62m) fortune as he left his entire estate to his wife Betsy in 1995 – the last update to the will was in 2005.
Despite not being mentioned in the will, Gene’s children could still be regarded as rightful heirs by default. According to Tre Lovell, a California lawyer speaking with the BBC: “The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit.”
Another issue is that although Hackman had a living trust at the time of his death, all of the people he listed as successory trustees were dead by the time that he passed. It has led to a representative of Hackman’s estate filing a request for a new temporary successor trustee to be appointed.
In March, District Judge Maria Sanchez-Gagne reportedly approved this request. Avalon Trust, LLC, has been made a temporary successor at the recommendation of the representative of Hackman’s estate, Julia Peters.
It means Avalon Trust will be tasked with splitting the actor’s estate and it’s believed it will be divided between his children. However, an estate-planning attorney has claimed his mistake with the trusts could lead to some serious complications.
Gene, Betsy and their dog Zinna were found dead by a maintenance worker on February 26. Hackman, found in a room next to the kitchen, is believed to have died around a week after his wife, who was found in the bathroom.
It’s thought the actor may not have realised his wife was dead in the days after her passing due to the advanced level of Alzheimer’s he was living with. A final autopsy showed he had a “history of congestive heart failure” as well as “severe chronic hypertensive changes, kidneys” and “neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer’s disease”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
