Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, with police called to the property at 1:45pm following a welfare check
Fresh details are surfacing about the heartbreaking death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their pet dog. The trio was discovered deceased at their Santa Fe, New Mexico residence.
According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, authorities responded to a welfare check request from a neighbour at the couple’s Old Sunset Trail address in Hyde Park at 1:45pm on Wednesday. Initially reported by US news station KOB 4 and later confirmed by People, police visited the property early Wednesday afternoon but were unable to identify the bodies until 12:30am on Thursday.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office verified that the couple, who had been married since 1991, was found dead along with their dog on Wednesday in their Santa Fe home, with an active investigation ongoing. However, they currently do not suspect foul play, reports the Mirror.
Gene, 95, had a storied acting career spanning six decades, earning two Oscars, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. His most notable wins include the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1972 film The French Connection.
He also secured the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 1992 Western film Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood. Born in California in 1930, Hackman left home at 16 to join the marine corps, serving from 1947 to 1952 as a field radio operator and later as a broadcast journalist.
He studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois but later switched gears to pursue an acting career. Hackman had a few TV and theatre roles before his breakthrough performance in 1967’s Bonnie And Clyde, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
He also received Oscar nods for his roles in 1970’s I Never Sang For My Father and 1988’s thriller Mississippi Burning. The actor gained a new fan base with his portrayal of supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film, reprising the role in its sequels, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Hackman acted alongside many Hollywood greats including Al Pacino in 1973’s Scarecrow, Gene Wilder in 1974’s Young Frankenstein and Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in 1981’s Reds. His other notable roles included hit movies like The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Conversation (1974) and Runaway Jury (2003).
A police statement released to PA news agency revealed the tragic news: “On February 26 2025 at approximately 1.45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased.”
They added: “Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time – however, exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
