SANTA FE, N.M. Hollywood icon Gene Hackman passed away due to heart disease, just a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home. Authorities revealed Friday that the 95-year-old actor, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, was likely unaware of his wife’s death.
Chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell confirmed at a press conference that both deaths were from natural causes. “Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Jarrell stated. “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.”
Authorities discovered the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa on February 26, but investigators determined that Arakawa, 65, had last been active on February 11, when she visited a pharmacy, pet store, and grocery store before returning to their gated neighborhood. Hackman’s pacemaker registered signs of activity until February 18, when he likely passed away.
“It’s quite possible he was not aware she was deceased,” Jarrell noted, emphasizing the severity of Hackman’s condition.
A Tragic and Isolated Incident
Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, suggested that Hackman’s Alzheimer’s prevented him from comprehending or reacting to his wife’s death. “You are talking about very severe Alzheimer’s disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care of him until she passed away,” Baden explained.
Arakawa’s cause of death was linked to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread through rodent droppings. Authorities confirmed that her thyroid medication was found nearby but did not contribute to her passing. The case marks the first confirmed hantavirus-related death in New Mexico this year.
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead inside a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs survived. The New Mexico Health Department clarified that dogs do not contract hantavirus, and the sheriff’s office is awaiting necropsy results for the deceased pet. Investigators continue to review personal cellphone data to reconstruct the timeline of events leading to the couple’s deaths.
A Life Remembered
Hackman, known for his Academy Award-winning performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven, enjoyed a storied career spanning decades before retiring from Hollywood in the early 2000s. In retirement, he pursued painting and writing and was an active member of the Santa Fe community, serving on the board of trustees at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and investing in local businesses.
Arakawa, a concert pianist from Hawaii and a University of Southern California graduate, met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a gym in California. Their quiet life in Santa Fe, away from Hollywood’s limelight, ended in an unforeseen tragedy that has left the entertainment world in mourning.
Authorities affirmed that Hackman’s Alzheimer’s disease and Arakawa’s sudden passing from hantavirus created a devastating chain of events. Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist, summarized the case: “They died several days apart: One dying of a viral infection, the hantavirus, which can kill quite quickly. The other death occurs from heart disease. Their explanation, I thought, was quite clear and plausible. I believe they really discovered what truly happened in this case.”
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
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