A close friend of the couple has suggested that Betsy Arakawa’s fierce determination to protect her ailing husband may have inadvertently led to both their deaths
A fresh perspective has emerged on the tragic passing of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
The couple was discovered deceased in their Santa Fe home on February 26, with the official causes of death attributed to Hackman’s advanced dementia and severe heart disease, and Arakawa, 65, falling victim to the rare Hantavirus.
However, a close friend has come forward with an alternative theory surrounding their deaths.
The discovery of Betsy and Gene’s bodies, partially mummified and surrounded by medication, initially sparked mystery and speculation. But the Sheriff’s office subsequently ruled out foul play and external trauma as contributing factors.
Tom Allin, 75, Hackman’s business partner and long-time friend, has since shed new light on the circumstances, stating: “I don’t think she allowed anybody in the house, especially in the last six months. But she was little. If he fell, she would have a hard time lifting him.”
Allin proposes that Betsy’s fierce protectiveness of her ailing husband led her to isolate him, despite their substantial $80 million fortune, which could have easily covered comprehensive, live-in care.
He noted: “She was going to do everything to protect him until he passed away. But she didn’t expect to pass away first,” hypothesizing that “if Betsy’s absolute goal of privacy ended up not being helpful at all.’
Allin added that the former classical pianist was resolute in handling everything herself, a decision that may have ultimately proved fatal.
His distressing theory, which he shared with the New York Times, suggests that Betsy’s fierce resolve to safeguard her husband may have inadvertently led to his tragic end, as he was left helpless following her death.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed last week that it appears Hackman may have been alive for up to seven days after Arakawa’s demise, and could have been so disoriented that he didn’t realise she had passed away.
Arakawa’s death was confirmed on February 11, after her mummified remains were discovered on the bathroom floor, surrounded by pills and a space heater. Hackman was found in the mudroom, with his pacemaker having stopped on February 18.
His stomach was empty, indicating he hadn’t eaten at all in the week following his wife’s passing.
Another friend agreed with Allin’s theory that the former classical pianist was insistent on managing everything herself, a decision that may have had fatal consequences, reports the Mirror.
Arakawa met her tragic end on February 11, found mummified in the bathroom among pills and a space heater. Hackman, however, was discovered lifeless in the mudroom with evidence his pacemaker stopped ticking on February 18; his empty belly suggesting he hadn’t eaten since his partner passed.
Backing up what mate Allin suspected, another close friend has dished the dirt on their sprawling Santa Fe pad, slamming it as “a mess”. They couldn’t hide their horror at the home’s state: “The inside of the house was shocking. They didn’t have a housekeeper or a maid, so it had beautiful things – furniture and paintings – but there was dog poop on the floor.”
They didn’t pull any punches detailing the filth, revealing: “Some of the poop had been there for a while and was covered in newspaper. The inside of the house was bad. Nothing had been dusted. There was nothing in the fridge.”
This bombshell about the excrement scattered around the home suggests that Hantavirus, a nasty bug spread by critters like rats and mice through their wee, droppings, and spit, could’ve been lurking.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
