Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s causes of death have been revealed.
Hackman died due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor, Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner for New Mexico at the office of the Medical Investigator, revealed at a Friday, March 7, press conference. Jarrell said authorities believe he died on February 18.
“The cause of death for Mrs. Hackman is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The cause of death is natural,” Dr. Jarrell said. Officials believe she died in the evening on February 11.
The family was informed of the autopsy findings before the press conference.
Us Weekly confirmed on Thursday, February 27, that the couple were found dead inside their New Mexico home one day prior.
“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.”
What to Know About Gene Hackman, Wife Betsy’s Deaths
After news broke of Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, the pair were mourned by their loved ones in a statement to Us. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” noted Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie. “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. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Elizabeth previously told TMZ that their family suspected Hackman and Arakawa died from carbon monoxide poisoning. (Hackman shared Elizabeth, Leslie and son Christopher with ex-wife Faye Maltese, who died in 2017. The Oscar winner tied the knot with Arakawa in 1991.)
Amid Elizabeth’s speculation, Santa Fe County sheriff Adan Mendoza released a statement that a “preliminary” investigation was underway and the department was “waiting on approval of a search warrant.” After obtaining a warrant on Thursday, authorities reportedly called the circumstances “suspicious,” in a copy obtained by TMZ.
No Signs of Carbon Monoxide Leak Found at Gene Hackman’s House: Report
A detective wrote in the affidavit: “The death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”
The docs reportedly indicated that Arakawa was found lying unconscious next to a space heater and was in an alleged “state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.” TMZ reported that Hackman was in a separate room, fully clothed with sunglasses next to him, with some suspicion that he fell.
