Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead alongside their dog at their New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza released a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican, via The Guardian, confirming the deaths: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday.”
The sheriff’s office also stated that “an active and ongoing investigation” into their deaths is underway. Hackman was 95 years old, and his wife was 63.
Learn more about the cause of their deaths and the details of their relationship below.
What Was the Cause of Gene Hackman and His Wife’s Death?
The sheriff has not confirmed the cause of death or the circumstances, but police have stated that no foul play is suspected. In Mendoza’s initial report, authorities discovered an elderly man and his wife in her 60s dead. He reassured the public, saying, “I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone. We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths; however, exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
According to investigators reported by AP News, the couple was found in different rooms of their Santa Fe home, and they had been dead for some time. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office noted in a search warrant that Hackman was discovered in a mudroom, while Arakawa was found in a bathroom next to a space heater. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were located on the countertop near Arakawa.
The Daily Mail also reported that firefighters were called to the property, but there were no signs of a gas leak. The outlet added that Hackman was fully clothed, with his sunglasses found next to his body, suggesting he may have died from a sudden fall.
The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa, which were described as “partially mummified” by the Daily Mail, were not formally identified until 12:30 a.m. Thursday (2:30 a.m. ET). The couple had three dogs, and two of them were found alive, roaming the property.
How Long Were Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Together?
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991. They began dating in the mid-1980s after Hackman separated from his first wife, Faye Maltese, whom he married in 1956 and divorced three decades later.
A 1989 profile in The New York Times noted that Hackman had been living quietly for the past five years with “a 28-year-old woman named Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center.”
Prior to the profile, Hackman clarified in a 1985 interview with the Florida South Sun-Sentinel that his divorce from Maltese was not due to leaving her for a younger woman. He explained, “We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.”
By 1990, Hackman and Arakawa had settled into a newly built home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they lived until their deaths.
Did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Have Children?
Hackman and Arakawa did not have any children together.
However, the actor had three children with his ex-wife, Maltese. His son, Christopher Allen Hackman, was born in 1960, followed by daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman in 1962, and daughter Leslie Ann Hackman in 1966.
