Actor Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Arakawa Both Found Dead in Their New Mexico Home

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Gene and Betsy were found deceased inside of their house on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 26, after a neighbor called requesting a welfare check. Gene was 95 years old at the time of his passing, while Betsy was 64. Their causes of death are not currently known.

“This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor,” police told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Thursday, February 27.

Gene was previously married to Faye Maltese from 1956 until 1986. Faye, who died in 2017, and Gene shared kids Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean and Christopher Allen.

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Following their divorce, Gene wed Betsy in 1991. They met at a fitness center in Los Angeles, where Betsy was working as a part-time employee. The Behind Enemy Lines actor and Betsy did not welcome any children during their marriage.

Gene was a professionally praised actor, and he won Oscars for his performances in the 1971 film The French Connection and the 1992 film Unforgiven.

In addition to winning two Oscars during his career, he was also nominated for his work in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, 1970’s I Never Sang for My Father and 1988’s Mississippi Burning.

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Gene’s final film was Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, and he retired in New Mexico soon after. “I haven’t held a press conference to announce my retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” he said about the status of his career during a 2008 interview with Reuters. “I miss the actual acting part of it, as it’s what I did for almost 60 years, and I really loved that. But the business for me is very stressful.”

The father of three kept a low profile during the later years of his life. He and Betsy were spotted for the first time in nearly five years during rare outings in 2024. The couple was photographed while out to eat at a restaurant in Santa Fe on April 5, 2024, where Gene appeared to be in good spirits as he walked with a cane. “He looked a little grizzled, but in good shape,” an insider exclusively told Closer at the time.

Two weeks later, Gene was spotted at a 7-Eleven where he was picking up coffee and pie. However, he did not use a cane for the second outing.

Twenty years before his death, Gene opened up about his fear of dying during a 2004 interview with CNN’s Larry King. After he confirmed he had “heart problems,” Gene shared that he had previously struggled with “severe angina” more than one decade before the interview took place.

“I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears,” the Royal Tenenbaums actor continued about his health. “I have the normal fear of passing away. You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age. I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.”