- Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, died of natural causes, officials announced Friday.
- The pair had been found dead in their New Mexico home on February 26 under unusual circumstances.
- Hackman died of complications from heart disease about a week after Arakawa Hackman died of hantavirus.
The Santa Fe County chief medical examiner said on Friday that Gene Hackman died of natural causes.
The 95-year-old Oscar-winning actor, his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, and one of their dogs were found dead on February 26 at their New Mexico home. For over a week, it was unclear how they’d each died, though authorities said they’d been dead for quite some time and their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
The investigation has now concluded. At a Santa Fe County Sheriff press conference on Friday, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said Hackman died of complications from heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Arakawa Hackman, who was 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hantavirus is a flu-like disease carried by infected rats, which is rarely passed between humans.
Both deaths were classified as natural.
Pills were previously reported to have been found on-site; Jarrell said they were prescribed thyroid medication and not a matter of concern.
Jarrell said it was unprecedented for her office to comment on deaths but felt it was important in this case to disseminate accurate information and said she had spoken to Hackman’s family about the autopsy findings before the conference.
Arakawa Hackman collapsed in a bathroom at the couple’s New Mexico residence and succumbed to the virus “pretty quickly” after it had progressed enough that fluid began to fill her lungs, Jarrell said. The medical examiner added that she does not believe Arakwa Hackman was alive for an extended period after she collapsed.
Given Hackman’s advanced Alzheimer’s disease, Jarrell said it is likely he was home with his deceased wife for over a week before he died. She said it is unclear whether he knew she had died or if he attempted to get help.
“Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease — I’m not aware of what his normal daily functioning capability was,” Jarrell said in the Friday press conference. “He was in a very poor state of health, and he had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that is what resulted in his death.”
Jarrell said she found no evidence that Hackman was dehydrated but said there was no food in his stomach at the time of his death.
The dog that was found deceased at the Hackman residence had been left in its crate following a recent medical procedure. The results of its necropsy are still pending.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
