Growing up, Betsy Arakawa always made it a priority to support her husband, actor Gene Hackman, in maintaining his health. Her efforts included being cautious by wearing a mask when out in public and motivating him to exercise by cycling and practicing yoga together virtually.
Authorities investigating the events leading up to his death revealed that Hackman was battling Alzheimer’s disease and may have had moments of unawareness in the days preceding his passing.
The loving couple, Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, tied the knot in 1991. They often spent quality time together watching films at home. According to Hackman, they preferred uncomplicated stories found in independent films that his wife would pick out for them.
Barbara Lenihan told The New York Times Arakawa also helped her husband in his literary pursuits, typing up longhand written versions of his books on the computer, while also assisting with edits and sharing her opinions about the characters.
“She was very involved with what he did,” Lenihan said. “She made it very possible for him to do it.”
Because of their health concerns following the COVID-19 pandemic, friends had seen less of the couple in the last few years, according to Lenihan.
Arakawa took measures like masking to ensure her husband wouldn’t get sick. Until a year ago, Hackman was still riding his bicycle and Arakawa “had him doing yoga and different things at home on Zoom and trying to stay very fit,” she said.
“Betsy was a wonderful wife. They were very close, and she was a good cook and really, really took good care of him,” Lenihan said. “They ate very well. He had had a triple bypass, maybe around (age) 60, and he’d been in really good health since then, and I’m sure she was one of those factors.”
Daniel and Barbara Lenihan described the couple as “very easy people to get along with.”
When the pair would host the Lenihans at their home, Hackman would often ask Arakawa to play classical pieces on the piano, and she was equally supportive of his accomplishments, Barbara Lenihan said. They loved to travel and were well-liked in their community, she said.
The couple also shared a love of animals. While Hackman was filming “The Replacements” in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered onto the set. Hackman took them to a shelter, where one of them was named after him. Later, Hackman and Arakawa adopted the dog named Gene.
Daniel Lenihan said he’ll remember Hackman as an “interesting, funny, very intelligent man,” while his wife described Arakawa as “clever and witty and fun.”
