Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their home in Santa Fe.
Santa Fe County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office reported, “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.”
Sheriff Adan Mendoza said, “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.”
“All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” Mendoza added. “I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone.”
Hackman just turned 95 on January 30th and his wife Betsy was 63.
He’s known for his roles as Jimmy Doyle in 1971’s The French Connection, Reverend Scott in 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure, Lex Luthor in Superman, Superman II, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers, Brigadier General George Cook in Geronimo: An American Legend, Ramsey in Crimson Tide, Brill in Enemy of the State, and Royal Tenebaum in The Royal Tenebaums among others.
His wife Betsy was a classical pianist.
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What a tragedy. May they rest in peace. Hope they catch the monster who did it soon.
How sad.
Only the other day I was remembering No Way Out (a pretty good and underrated thriller I saw when I was 15 - don't know if its aged well) and The French Connection and wondered how he was doing.
Great actor.
Not sure how true this is but, irrc, I read an interview of his where he stated that one of the things that taught him the importance of acting/use of tone was when his dad drove past him on his way out when he was just a kid playing in the yard after a long period of unhappiness at home.
He asked his dad where he was going and the reply was, 'I'm going to get cigarettes son'. However, something about the way his dad said those simple words and the look in his eyes told him that he wouldn't be coming back. It was the last time he saw him.
He said it showed him the power of words and the different ways you can express them.