Gene Hackman Death "Suspicious" but Determined to be Natural Causes

Gene Hackman, 95, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their dogs were found dead after police conducted a welfare check on the actor’s Santa Fe, New Mexico home. The bodies were reportedly discovered by two maintenance workers.

Police initially said that there was no indication of foul play, however, they are now calling the deaths suspicious and are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the property, once featured in Architectural Digest.

UPDATE: Forensic experts came to a heartrending conclusion Friday about the manner of death for actor Gene Hackman: he died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease on an empty stomach a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease took the life of his wife at their home in Santa Fe.

Authorities believe that Arakawa likely died February 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease spread by infected rodent droppings.

Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, was apparently unaware that his wife was dead. He died of cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor, said Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. He tested negative for hantavirus.

“He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death,” Dr. Jarrell said. “It’s quite possible he was not aware she was deceased.”

Hackman’s pacemaker registered cardiac activity on February 17. On February 18, the pacemaker picked up an abnormal rhythm, which was the last recording, suggesting that he died that day.

The fire department and gas company were dispatched to the home to check for a natural gas leak but found nothing. Detective Roy Arndt wrote that the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”

Police said that it appeared both Hackman and Arakawa had fallen to the ground. Hackman was discovered in the mud room with his sunglasses next to him.

Arakawa was found lying on the bathroom floor with pills scattered nearby. A prescription pill bottle was open on the countertop, and one of the dogs was found dead nearby in a crate in the bathroom closet. At the press conference, Dr. Jarrell said the pills are thyroid medication that was being taken as prescribed.

The dog, Zinna, had recently undergone a “major surgery,” according to the Hackman’s veterinarian, Dr. Gruda of the Gruda Veterinary Hospital.

The staff instructed her to confine Zinna, short for Zinfandel, to a crate in order to keep to keep her from running around and undoing the effects of the surgery, Gruda told USA Today. Zinfandel was reportedly named after Hackman’s favorite wine.

Two other dogs, Bear and Nikita, were found on the property still alive; one near Arakawa’s body, the other loose outdoors. The front door of the house was open but police found no sign of forced entry.

Police said that both Hackman and Arakawa appeared to have been dead for some time, and “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating… and mummification in both hands and feet.”

Although police found no immediate signs of trauma on the bodies, in the search warrant affidavit investigators indicated they wanted to collect objects that could have been used as murder weapons.

Judge John Rysanek, of the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, approved the search warrant late on the evening of February 26, 2025. The Office of the Medical Investigator will conduct autopsies to determine the cause of death.

Gene Hackman, once voted “Least Likely to Succeed” by acting classmates, was a legend with a career spanning over 5 decades. He began his career after serving in the Marines and being awarded the National Defense Service Medal, China Service Medal, and the Navy Occupation Service Medal.

As an actor, his extraordinary range allowed him to work in both drama and comedy, and he won Academy Awards for The French Connection and Unforgiven, as well as Golden Globe Awards for The French Connection, Unforgiven, and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Hackman also competed in a variety of racing events, including driving an open-wheeled Formula Ford and driving for Team Toyota in a 24 Hours of Daytona Endurance Race. He won a Grand Prix of Long Beach Celebrity Race.

Hackman also starred in classic films like Bonnie and Clyde, the original Superman franchise, the Birdcage, Young Frankenstein, Mississippi Burning, Wyatt Earp, The Quick and the Dead, and Crimson Tide.

In a 2011 interview, GQ asked Hackman how he wanted to be remembered. He said:

“As a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.”

Asked to sum up his life in a phrase, he responded":

“‘He tried.’ I think that’d be fairly accurate.”

Arakawa was a former classical pianist who married Hackman in 1991. She owned Pandora’s, a home furnishings store in Santa Fe, with a friend.