The causes of death for two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have been determined. The New Mexico Office of the Medical In
The causes of death for two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have been determined. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has announced that Hackman died from cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor, approximately a week after Arakawa passed away due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
On February 26, Hackman, Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found dead in separate areas of their Santa Fe home during a wellness check conducted by deputies from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office. Arakawa was found on a bathroom floor next to a counter scattered with loose pills, while the deceased dog was located in a crate in the bathroom closet; Hackman was found in the mudroom, off the kitchen, near his cane. While no foul play was initially suspected, their deaths were deemed suspicious enough to require a search and investigation by New Mexico authorities. Around the time of the discovery, Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman reportedly told TMZ that the family believed that carbon monoxide poisoning may have played a role in the deaths, but police ruled out carbon monoxide, as both bodies tested negative for the potentially deadly gas.
At a press conference on Friday, Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said that Arakawa, 65, likely died on February 11, with the cause being hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a sporadic infectious disease resulting from a virus primarily spread via rodents. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that hantavirus is contracted “from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva.” Jarrell stated that the pills found near Arakawa’s body were thyroid medication and not associated with her cause of death.
Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza said at the news conference that surveillance footage showed Arakawa running errands at a Sprouts market and a CVS pharmacy on February 11. She also exchanged emails with a massage therapist that same day.
According to Jarrell, Hackman, 95, died on February 18, approximately a week after his wife, based on the last activity from his pacemaker. His autopsy reportedly showed signs of grave heart disease, with evidence of previous heart attacks and several surgical procedures. Jarrell also cited advanced Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor to Hackman’s death. The actor tested negative for hantavirus.
A prolific performer who won Academy Awards for The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992), Hackman was included in the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars on March 2, just five days after his body was found. He married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991, and officially retired from acting in 2004. Hackman and Arakawa had been living full-time in Santa Fe, having moved to the area in the 1980s.
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