UPDATE 2/27/25 at 12:15 p.m. ET: In a copy of the search warrant, law enforcement reportedly called both Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths “suspicious.”
In the affidavit obtained by TMZ, the fire department did not find any signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning when they completed a search. The local gas company also conducted tests on the gas lines surrounding the property, further concluding there were “no signs” pertaining to an issue with the pipes.
Original story continues below:
Gene Hackman’s children believe that they know what led to the actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths.
Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth told TMZ on Thursday, February 27, that it is likely that the Oscar winner and Arakawa suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to Elizabeth, she and her siblings aren’t sure about the cause of death since law enforcement officials ruled out any signs of foul play in an initial investigation.
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991 and are survived by his three children. (In addition to Elizabeth, Hackman shared kids Christopher and Leslie with late ex-wife Faye Maltese.)
Gene Hackman Through the Years: His Life and Career in Photos
Us Weekly confirmed earlier on Thursday that the married couple had been found dead one day earlier inside their New Mexico house.
“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,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement shared with Us. “Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined.”
According to the sheriff’s department, an investigation is “active and ongoing.”
Hackman’s family later addressed his death in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy. He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” Hackman’s daughters and granddaughter told Us in a statement. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Hackman was a prolific actor, winning an Academy Award in 1971 for his role in The French Connection.
Celebrity Deaths of 2025: Stars We’ve Lost This Year
“[I want to be remembered] as a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. I don’t know, beyond that,” Hackman, then 81, told GQ in a 2011 profile. “I don’t think about that often, to be honest. I’m at an age where I should think about it.”
Hackman ultimately retired from Hollywood in 2004, later explaining his creative process to GQ.
“I always try to approach the work in that way, regardless of how good or bad the script,” he said in 2011 before sharing his advice for another performer planning to play him in a potential biopic. “I say to portray what is on the page, instead of what maybe people might think of me or what I would like them to think of me in terms of personality or charisma. But just be what is asked of me on the page.”
Since news broke of Hackman’s death, many celebrities have offered their condolences.
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman [was] a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution,” Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Hackman in The Conversation, wrote via Instagram on Thursday.
Josh Brolin, for his part, shared via social media, “I am crushed by the sudden deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa (and their dog). Crushed. He was always one of my favorites. Not many who beat to their own drums like he did. Rest in Peace.”
