Causes of death of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa disclosed

Gene Hackman, the actor, has been determined to have passed away due to a cardiovascular disease in New Mexico. Additionally, it was revealed that his wife succumbed to a rare rodent-borne illness.

The couple’s mummified remains were discovered by two maintenance workers in separate rooms of their $3.8 million Santa Fe abode last Wednesday. 

Last Thursday, autopsies were conducted on the couple, with Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator for the state, confirming the causes of their deaths.

She ruled that Arakawa died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a rare disease carried by rodents. 

Hackman died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease which was exacerbated by his Alzheimer’s.

His autopsy found no signs of internal or external trauma, but found severe heart disease and evidence of prior heart attacks. 

Jarrell said there was no reliable method to get an exact time for death, but concluded that he probably died around February 18. 

Arakawa is said to have died first on February 11 due to her infection, which initially presents with flu like symptoms. 

Gene Hackman attends the premiere of the film ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ December 6, 2001 in Hollywood

Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their Sante Fe, New Mexico home last week

Authorities shared that Gene Hackman was found on the floor of a mud room adjacent to the kitchen, with his sunglasses and cane nearby. This discovery led officials to speculate that he may have fallen before his death.

His wife was found lying on her side in the bathroom with a space heater next to her head. Unidentified prescription pills were strewn across a nearby countertop.

It is unclear what those meds were or who they’d been prescribed for. A space heater was on the floor next to her and cops believe it may have fallen around the time of her death. 

Last week, Santa Fe officials said that Hackman’s last event noted on his pacemaker was recorded on February 17. 

Authorities said it was a very good assumption that February 17 was the last day of his life due to the lack of pacemaker activity thereafter.

Officials had also said that there was no trace of carbon monoxide in the bodies of the couple.

Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth had earlier floated a theory that the couple had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which authorities officially quashed last week. 

She told TMZ that the family believed their deaths came about after inhaling the toxic fumes. 

Santa Fe officials last week said that Hackman’s last event noted on his pacemaker was recorded on February 17 

Hackman shared three children with his first wife Faye Maltese. He and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had been married for the last three decades.

The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the finest actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for The French Connection in 1972 and Unforgiven two decades later. 

Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s.

They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade had decamped to Santa Fe.

A naturally private man, Hackman was labelled a recluse as he remained out of the public eye for years on end following his retirement from the movie industry.

In an interview with Empire in 2020, he said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented. 

Hackman said: ‘We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.

‘Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing.’