Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have both been found dead in their home in the Santa Fe Summit, with the Santa Fe County Sheriff confirming the sad news
Two time Oscar winner and author Gene Hackman has been found dead at the age of 95 alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has confirmed just after midnight that the legendary actor and the classical pianist, 63, and their dog had been found dead, but no foul play is suspected in relation to their passing. Tributes have flooded in for the star and police have now requested a search warrant for the home.
In an interview given to local media, Sheriff Mendoza said they did not suspect foul play and have yet to provide a cause of death or confirm when the couple had died. He said: “All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant. I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
A further statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said: “On February 26, 2025 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95 and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64 and a dog were found deceased. Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”
Gene Hackman in his hit movie The French Connection (
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Getty Images)
Gene Jackman had a career that spanned more than six decades, where he won a number of gongs including an Oscar for Best Actor in 1972 for his role in The French Connection. He also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Unforgiven.
Over the years, he picked up two BAFTAs as well as four Golden Globes, three awards at the National Board of Review Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He picked up a number of film critic awards too.
Gene was born in 1930 and enlisted in the army at the age of 16 after lying about his age. After four years in the army, he turned to acting where he met friend Dustin Hoffman at a local theatre, the Pasadena Playhouse.
It was his role in Broadway show Any Wednesday in 1964 that shot him to fame and quickly he signed up for his debut film Lilith. From there, he appeared in Bonnie and Clyde in the late 60s, which saw him garner his first Oscar nomination. Another nod came just a few years later for his part in I Never Sang for My Father.
Gene and Betsy had been married since 1991, but the pair mainly kept out of the spotlight. The reclusive star seemed frail on a rare last appearance including a lunch out at a restaurant near to his and Betsy’s home.
Gene and Betsy had been married since 1991 (
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Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Gene Hackman was last seen on a rare outing in March 2024 (
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Backgrid)
Gene rarely did interviews too, admitting he “didn’t like to speak about himself”. He said: “I don’t like to talk about myself that much. I don’t know. It’s the same as watching myself on film, it makes me uncomfortable. I love doing the acting. I love that part of it.”
Gene’s last movie aired in 2004, a comedy called Welcome To Mooseport where he starred alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski. It wasn’t until years later that he confirmed his retirement. He said in 2008: “I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer. I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
After he stopped acting, he turned to writing novels, which he loved the “loneliness” of.
“I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do. There’s always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don’t know that I like it better than acting, it’s just different. I find it relaxing and comforting,” he shared.
Betsy is a classical pianist and the pair reportedly began dating in the mid 1980s following the end of his first marriage. Gene denied at the time that he had ‘abandoned’ his first wife Faye Maltese to be with Betsy.
Gene and Betsy stayed out of the spotlight in recent years (
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(Photo by Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images))“By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman. 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,” he said.
The pair reportedly met at the gym and fell in love. She is also a stepmother to the actor’s three children from his previous marriage, including son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean.
Speaking about his kids, he said in 2000: “It’s tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity. I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they’ve had my success always hanging over their heads.”
The pair were very private but in 2020, Gene made some rare comments about their weekly ritual as a couple, insisting they always had a date night on a Friday. He 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.”
Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve in a scene from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (
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Warner Bros)Gene is survived by his three children – Christopher, Leslie and Elizabeth. He has been open about his relationship with them over the years, and recalled how he had to borrow his eldest daughter’s car to go to auditions in the 70s and 80s.
“I used to have to borrow my daughter’s car to go to interviews in Hollywood Just a piece-of-s*** Toyota and I’d have to park it a couple of blocks [away] and walk so I wouldn’t be seen as being that needy. … I was just barely hanging in, taking pretty much anything that was offered to me and trying to make it work,” he said in 2000.
Gene was thought to have had two German Shepherds before he adopted another pooch in 1999. When he was filming The Replacements in Baltimore, two stray dogs made their way onto set and Gene took them to a local shelter. The dogs were named after him and his co-star Keanu Reeves and Gene and Betsy went on to adopt the one named after him.
Over the years, he had been open about his health. Of his decision to quit acting, he admitted he was worried about the stress: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Gene’s home in Santa Fe was where he and his family tragically died. The property is on twelve acres of hilltop land with a 360-degree view. The 1950s block building was renovated for them into a “part pueblo, part colonial New Mexico, part Spanish Baroque” property.
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