Inside Gene Hackman’s reclusive life as daughter Leslie reveals they hadn’t spoken in months
They lived a somewhat reclusive life in New Mexico.
On Wednesday evening Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife of over 30 years Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe house under mysterious circumstances.
The 95-year-old actor and classical pianist Arakawa, 64, were reported to have died ‘quite a while’ ago, with investigations ongoing as to how they both died in separate rooms, along with a deceased dog found in a bathroom cupboard.
Their other two dogs were found alive – one close to Arakawa’s body and the other roaming the property.
Arakawa was discovered on the bathroom floor next to a space heater with an open prescription bottle of pills on a nearby counter top. Reports described her body as in a state of decomposition.
Meanwhile, the Bonnie and Clyde actor’s body was found in the mud room next to the kitchen of their New Mexico mansion, with his sunglasses and walking stick close by.
While their family speculated they might have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, New Mexico Gas Company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to a search warrant, and found no problems.
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Previous Page Next Page Hackman was found dead aged 95 alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa (Picture: AP)Both Hackman and Arakawa appeared to have suddenly fallen to the floor and neither showed signs of blunt force trauma, the affidavit said.
However, a detective noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide may not show signs of poisoning.
The official results of the post-mortem examinations and toxicology reports are pending and the manner and cause of death have not yet been determined, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Last year, the Unforgiven star and Arakawa were seen out and about for the first time in two decades following Hackman’s 2004 retirement.
What have Gene Hackman’s family said about his and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths?Hackman is survived by the three children he welcomed with his ex-wife, Faye Maltese – Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 63, and Leslie, 58. They have largely kept out of the spotlight.
Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter, Annie, shared a statement with the New York Post yesterday confirming the deaths.
‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,’ they said.
‘He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,’ the statement continued. ‘We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.’
Leslie told the Daily Mail that ‘there was no indication that there was any problem’ with her famous father before his death, though noted that it wasn’t ‘terribly shocking’ given his age.
Hackman is survived by his two daughters – Leslie and Elizabeth – and his son Christopher (Picture: Frank Edwards/Archive Photos/Getty Images)‘Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,’ she said.
‘He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.’
While Leslie described her relationship with her father as ‘close’, due to her living in California it had been ‘a few months’ since they last spoke or saw one another.
Leslie told the publication that Gene and Betsy had ‘a wonderful marriage’ and she credited the pianist for keeping her dad alive.
‘[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health,’ she said.
The actor’s nephew Tim Hackman also revealed to the publication he hadn’t seen Gene in 11 years, since his father Richard’s funeral.
Tim’s mum Barbara Hackman was married to Richard, who was a stuntman of Gene’s and his brother,
Leslie said she hadn’t spoken to her father in ‘months’ but described their relationship as close (Picture: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)‘Eleven years ago was the last time I physically saw him. He only came to California during the warm weathers, and then he just stayed in New Mexico,’ Tim revealed, confirming that he wasn’t estranged but just ‘liked New Mexico’.
Tim said he would talk to Arakawa ‘every once in a while’ due to Gene being ‘at the age where he wasn’t really communicative a lot with the family’.
He found out about his uncle’s death through Leslie, who he claims had the most contact with the couple out of anyone else in their family.
He also credits Arakawa for Hackman’s long life.
Who was Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa?Hackman ended his first marriage to Maltese in 1986 after 30 years, and married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa in 1991.
Arakawa was born in 1959 and grew up in Honolulu. She began playing piano young, performing from the age of 11.
They reportedly met in a California gym and began dating in the 1980s, however Hackman was previously forced to clarify that there was no crossover in his relationships.
The actor said at the time: ‘By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman. We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.’
Family and friends have credited Arakawa for looking after Hackman in his later years (Picture: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)After settling down with Hackman, Arakawa largely stopped large public performances, keeping her life private. In 2001, she opened Pandora’s, a home furnishing store, which she ran with a friend until her death.
Along with Tim and Leslie, Hackman’s friend and former business partner Doug Lanham also revealed that Arakawa kept a close eye on Hackman’s health.
He told TMZ that Betsy placed the Hollywood icon on a strict, healthy diet, and closely monitored Gene’s eating habits.
In his later years post-retirement, Hackman credited Arakawa as being pivotal in publishing his three historical novels. He would write them with pen and paper, while she would type them up.
‘If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends’ suggestions and my wife’s unwavering, specific read-throughs,’ he told the Writer’s Bone podcast in 2014.
When did Gene Hackman retire from Hollywood and why?The actor received two Oscars, two Baftas, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award in an acting career spanning six decades.
He secured the best actor Oscar and Bafta for his role as Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in 1971 thriller The French Connection.
Hackman landed a further Academy Award and Bafta in the best supporting actor category for his part in 1992 western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood.
Hackman’s final role was in 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, and he retired from acting but pursued other interests such as painting and novel writing for the remainder of his life spent in New Mexico.
‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,’ he told Reuters in 2008.
‘I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.’
Hackman retired in 2004 after a dazzling 60-year career (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock) His breakout role was in 1967 classic Bonnie and Clyde (Picture: Warner Bros/Seven Arts/Tatira-Hi)In a 2011 interview with GQ, when asked if he’d break his retirement for one more film the actor hinted at his reclusive lifestyle, as he said: ‘If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.’
‘I paint. I paint and draw and my wife is a classical pianist, and it has a lot of cultural opportunities,’ Hackman said in a 1999 interview with Charlie Rose of how he spends his time.
In 2009 Hackman told Empire he retired due to the stress of living in New York and working as an actor.
‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,’ he said, adding: ‘The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.’
Last year, the actor and his wife were seen out and about for the first time in 21 years.
He was holding onto his wife’s arm for balance as the pair grabbed a bite at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico
The last time they were pictured on a public outing was at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where he won the Cecil B. deMille award.
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