Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their Santa Fe home on Wednesday.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said the 95- and 65-year-olds’ bodies had “no external trauma,” but their deaths are still under investigation.
The caregiver who called 911 from Hackman’s estate has given CNN the recording.
Hollywood lost a legend. A caretaker called 911 Wednesday to report Gene Hackman and pianist Betsy Arakawa dead at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. The call occurred before 2pm, according to police.
Hackman’s daughters Elizabeth and Leslie and granddaughter Annie told People Magazine they are “devastated by the loss.”
We mourn the death of our father, Gene Hackman, and his wife, Betsy. He was millions of people’s idol for his acting profession, but to us he was Dad and Grandpa. Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie Hackman told People Magazine, “We will miss him so much and are devastated.”
Law enforcement visited Hackman’s home Wednesday. CNN reported scattered pills near Arakawa’s body in the affidavit. She lay on the bathroom floor with an open bottle of prescription tablets on the countertop. A space heater was located near her head, and one of the couple’s dogs died in the bathroom closet.
Hackman was found dead in another room near the kitchen. He was on the ground, and detectives “suspected the male individual had suddenly fallen.” The door was open, but there were no signs of forced entry or theft.
The front door was open when two more canines were found alive in their residence. On Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, the sheriff’s office stated that “foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time.”
Death of Gene Hackman at 95
A Thursday sheriff’s office release said it “remains an open investigation.” TMZ said that a Santa Fe officer seeking a search warrant deemed “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.”
The sheriff’s office said autopsy and toxicology findings are awaited. Hackman and Arakawa needed carbon monoxide and toxology tests.
“There was no obvious sign or indication of foul play,” CNN quoted Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza as saying Thursday. He said that there was no fighting or missing things from the couple’s home. Mendoza also indicated that Hackman and Arakawa had died long ago.
“The autopsy and toxicology are key,” Mendoza said.
The caretaker called 911 from the Santa Fe residence. CNN received the 911 call and the document said maintenance personnel found the pair dead.
911 audio leaked in Gene Hackman’s death
Caller sounded emotional to 911 dispatcher. Though they couldn’t enter the home, they noticed two unconscious persons through the window.
They’re not moving, guy. The caretaker instructed the dispatcher to send someone out immediately.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said toxicology will be essential to the inquiry. One of Gene Hackman’s three children, Leslie, says they won’t rule out the possibility that a carbon monoxide leak killed her father and stepmother. The affidavit reported no carbon monoxide leaks or plumbing issues.
Leslie told the Daily Mail that her father’s death is a mystery and that there was “no indication that there was any problem” before his death. The tragedy is still affecting the family.
“Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,” Leslie Hackman said, adding that her father hadn’t had any major procedures in months. He enjoyed Pilates and yoga and did them many times a week. So he was fit.”
“Everything was normal and good”
Although Leslie and her family are grieving Gene’s death, they said his age made it not “terribly shocking” She said she hadn’t seen him in “few months” in California. Even though they were close, they hadn’t talked recently.
“We were close. Although I hadn’t spoken to them in months, everything was fine, Leslie told the DailyMail.
It wasn’t Gene Hackman’s calling to act. Born in San Bernardino, California, on January 30, 1930, his mother, Lyda, was a waitress and his father, Eugene, a printer. They went around looking for work and ended up in Danville, Illinois.
By age 16, Gene had enough of school. He lied about his age so he could join the Marines, yet due to a catastrophic motorbike accident, he had to quit the forces and find work elsewhere.
After marrying Faye Maltese in 1956, Hackman tried acting with her aid after working with radio in the Marines. After coming west, he enrolled at Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts, where Gene proved natural.
Despite his younger peers, including Dustin Hoffman, he didn’t care. Gene and Dustin became longtime friends, but they were first deemed the “least likely to succeed” in the entertainment sector. As of today, we know that wasn’t quite the case.
Career and Betsy Arakawa marriage of Gene Hackman
Hackman became a legendary actor. With his first wife, he returned to New York City to start his Broadway career. He began in 1961’s Mad Dog Coll, but it took a decade for his breakout part. He received his first Academy Award nomination for Bonnie & Clyde in 1968 and another for I Never Sang for My Father in 1971.
Hackman won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in The French Connection in 1972. He had several major roles and honors after becoming a Hollywood star in his 40s. Acting in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven earned him his second Oscar in 1993.
Hackman became a movie legend in millions of hearts with films like Hoosiers and The Royal Tenenbaums. He last appeared in Welcome to Mooseport (2004) with Ray Romano.
Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne were Hackman’s children with Faye Maltese. After their 1986 divorce, he married classical musician Betsy Arakawa in 1991. They were married until death. Hackman’s daughter Leslie told the Daily Mail they had a “wonderful marriage.”
Their marriage was great. She credited Betsy, his wife, with saving him. Betsy always looked out for his health and took wonderful care of him. I appreciate her and am grieved by her death.”
Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman discuss Gene Hackman’s passing.
“We need to wait and find out from the police,” she said. “We weren’t expecting to go out there and go through the house and” We have our work cut out. However, we will visit New Mexico.”
Hollywood stars have commemorated Hackman after his death. These include Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman. Eastwood stated, “There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense, instinctive. True note. He was a good friend I will miss.”
Morgan Freeman wrote on Instagram, “One of the personal highlights of my career was bringing the French Film Gardé a Vue (Under Suspicion) to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman. Unforgiven, of course. Rest easy, friend.”
Rest Easy, Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman. Please share this article in their memory.