Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe Summit, Santa Fe, New Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. According to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, the couple and their dog were found deceased, with no indication of foul play. Mendoza did not provide a cause of death, nor elaborate on when the couple might have passed. Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991.
The former had celebrated his 95th birthday in late January, but a public sighting last year drew concern form some fans over how frail he appeared. Hackman spent four amazing decades in Hollywood forming a stellar body of work. The actor and author retired from his career in front of the cameras quietly in the late 2000s. He did so after hinting in a 2004 Larry King interview that he had no productions lined up for the future. All told, the actor featured in over 70 films over the course of his career.
He won multiple awards, including the coveted Oscar for Best Actor in The French Connection as well as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. In 2009, Hackman shared that the reason behind his taking a step away from the bright lights of Hollywood was a stress test which alarmed his doctors.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” he told Empire. “The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.” Following his retirement, Hackman turned his attentions to less-stressful endeavors including painting, fishing and writing. Of writing, he said: “It’s very relaxing for me. I don’t picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process.”
“It’s one you can kind of manage, because you’re sitting there by yourself, as opposed to having 90 people sitting around waiting for you to entertain them,” he added.
Hackman is survived by his three children, Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the legendary Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa.