Gene Hackman dead at 95: Iconic actor and wife, 63, are found dead with their dog at Santa Fe home. #2

[LaborDayRN]

Many of their close friends have all said the same thing.
They haven't communicated with GH or been with him for a few years.

I'm not sure I would think of people who hadn't communicated with GH or hadn't been with him as for a few years as "close friends". But that's just me....

 

[Lyanna]

Took weeks when my daughter, 22, died in 2018 but I'd have thought when they're well known it could be fast-tracked.

So sorry for your loss x

 

[annpats]

I'm not sure I would think of people who hadn't communicated with GH or been with him as for a few years as "close friends". But that's just me....

Well, perhaps he didn't have "close friends" anymore. Not many 95 year olds do, as everyone else dies and you're left.

 

[Izzylizzy]

How about considering this:
Without Betsy's devoted care, Gene might have died years ago.

Quite a few years ago GH did credit BS with saving his life yet the tragic and horrific ending to both their lives and their dog I don't believe was part of that plan along with the 24/7 media coverage and speculations.

 

[Cherwell]

Quite a few years ago GH did credit BS with saving his life yet the tragic and horrific ending to both their lives and their dog I don't believe was part of that plan along with the 24/7 media coverage and speculations.

Obviously not.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I'm not sure I would think of people who hadn't communicated with GH or been with him as for a few years as "close friends". But that's just me....

It was the couples closest friends who all communicated the same thing to the media.
Point being that they all had no contact with GH for a few years.

 

[NuttMegg]

Aside from the challenge (TO LE, not us) of learning the sequence of events, this is pretty much an Occam's Razor ho hum.

There is zero evidence that either of them was essentially being held captive by the other. Imo, theories that try to pin nefarious doings on either of them are just inventions.

Growing old is not for the faint of heart. Let them be.

 

[Sunshynn]

It was the couples closest friends who all communicated the same thing to the media.
Point being that they all had no contact with GH for a few years.

If Gene and Betsy were in their 20's, 30's or 40's I would find it odd that no one had been in contact for a few years.

However, Gene was 95 - obviously someone had to have known that Gene's health was declining in the last year and Covid is still an issue especially for elderly as is the flu.

MOO - but I do not believe that Betsy was keeping him from the world or that Gene was doing the same to Betsy.
The Doggy Day Care owner said his last contact - in person - with Betsy was October 2024.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

This article has their last paparazzi photo dated March 28, 2024 so they weren't hermits. JMO.

 

[angkg]

My elderly mother is 89. She has become quite frail in the last few years. I still get out and about, but she doesn't - by her choice. She just doesn't feel like getting all "fixed up" to go out. It is too much work for her. She dotes around the house, but doesn't get out much any more. Up until last year, she used to go out twice a week to play cards and go out with friends. Several of her friends have died over the last 2 years. As another poster has indicated, getting old is not for the faint of heart. We don't know what their dynamic was; but, I can tell you that she had the option of leaving if she wanted. They lived and loved each other and they died at the same time. Doesn't mean there was anything nefarious about it.

 

[al66pine]

A Wee Geography Slip-up?

From Feb 27, people.com article w pic of Gene & Betsy.

"The pair were last pictured together on March 28, 2024, as Hackman was seen holding on to his wife's arm as they grabbed lunch together at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the actor had lived since the 1980s."

Yes, they had a home in Santa Fe, NM, but the closest Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is in Albuquerque NM, ~ 60 miles south, ~ an hour-plus drive from their property.
FWIW, pic does seem to have been taken at the entry & steps to that particular Pappadeaux.
(And worth the drive)

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I haven't read a single comment so far that suggests ill-intent. It seems to me this thread is amazingly supportive, concerned, and caring about the victims in this case. I mentioned the lobster-in-the-pot metaphor (thanks @Izzylizzy for clarification) because circumstances clearly overwhelmed both partners. It's no one's fault, imo, and simply a sad story-- if only because one innocent dog died and several people had to see a scene that will haunt them the rest of their lives. I can also imagine that many friends of the Hackmans wish they had tried harder to be in touch, and that may haunt them, too. I agree it's an Occam's Razor case, and the simplest explanation is that accident(s) happened which may or may not have been preventable.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

A Wee Geography Slip-up?

From Feb 27, people.com article w pic of Gene & Betsy.

"The pair were last pictured together on March 28, 2024, as Hackman was seen holding on to his wife's arm as they grabbed lunch together at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the actor had lived since the 1980s."

Yes, they had a home in Santa Fe, NM, but the closest Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is in Albuquerque NM, ~ 60 miles south, ~ an hour-plus drive from their property.
FWIW, pic does seem to have been taken at the entry & steps to that particular Pappa's.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

So glad you caught that. I did too. (Another media goof.) Santa Feans often go to Albuquerque for health care and to shop. It's an easy drive, and this proves Betsy was driving to Albuquerque a year ago. They both look pretty good in this photo.

 

[arielilane]

Hear ye, Hear ye, for anyone unaware of Friday's news conference, @2:00 pm MT.

@CStewartNews


Santa Fe Sheriff just announced a news conf for Friday afternoon to give an update on Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa with the medical examiner officials.

7:17 PM · Mar 5, 2025

 

[slowpoke]

A Wee Geography Slip-up?

From Feb 27, people.com article w pic of Gene & Betsy.

"The pair were last pictured together on March 28, 2024, as Hackman was seen holding on to his wife's arm as they grabbed lunch together at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the actor had lived since the 1980s."

Yes, they had a home in Santa Fe, NM, but the closest Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is in Albuquerque NM, ~ 60 miles south, ~ an hour-plus drive from their property.
FWIW, pic does seem to have been taken at the entry & steps to that particular Pappadeaux.
(And worth the drive)

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

Good catch. This one says Albuquerque.

“The pair was pictured leaving Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in March 2024.”

Frantic 911 call revealed after Gene Hackman and wife found 'not moving'

HEARTBREAKING audio has revealed the tragic moment a caretaker found Gene Hackman and his wife dead on Wednesday afternoon. The 911 caller is heard crying “they’re not moving!” as…

www.the-sun.com

 

[Sadi]

I'm not sure I would think of people who hadn't communicated with GH or hadn't been with him as for a few years as "close friends". But that's just me....

Exactly!

 

[al66pine]

Gene Hackman. 101 acting roles, 1961 - 2004, per imdb.com,
w 9 movies of those 2000 - 2004, when he was 70-plus yo.

Life after retiring from acting? Looks like he was a still busy guy until at least 2017.

"In 2004, Hackman told Larry King in an interview that his career was “probably all over,” and that he had no new scripts in front of him...."

"... telling GQ in 2011 that it would take a lot for him to make another film.
“I don’t know. If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people,” he said..."

".. on a book tour for his novel Escape from Andersonville in 2008, Hackman then told... that he didn’t want to “keep pressing” and risk “going out on a sour note...."

"Hackman turned to painting and did voice-over work and writing books. He penned the old west story Payback at Morning Peak (2011) and the police thriller Pursuit (2013), as well as co-authoring three works of historical fiction with undersea archeologist Daniel Lenihan.

"... narrated two documentary films: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jim (2016) and We, the Marines (2017).

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

more at Gene Hackman - Wikipedia

ETA: hoping this book will be released on kindle. Amazon hardback priced at $169.00. Yikes.
"Justice for None (2004), a Depression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville. By Hackman & co-author Daniel Lenihan.

 

[Tower]

This is purely personal but almost every conversation I’ve had with Santa Fe friends and neighbors since this happened has been on two topics: who would find you and how long would it take if something happened and who have you designated to take your pets at your death? In our fractured, lonely, and increasingly isolated society these are important considerations for us all. One single friend texts with another friend daily for this purpose. Two friends have asked us to take in their dogs if anything happens. Even as a couple the Hackmans were endangered— and this kind of isolation hurts many like those who found the bodies and friends. A lesson for us all to take responsibility and plan what we can.

I think this is so important. My father passed last year and though I didn’t text or speak to him daily, he had 3 friends who checked in with each other every morning and night. I live in a different state, so it gave me great comfort he was keeping socially active and had someone nearby if he needed help. He was able to reach out to them immediately for help when he fell (not injured and did not need 911, just too weak to get back up).

 

[NuttMegg]

Gene Hackman. 101 acting roles, 1961 - 2004, per imdb.com,
w 9 movies of those 2000 - 2004, when he was 70-plus yo.

Life after retiring from acting? Looks like he was a still busy guy until at least 2017.

"In 2004, Hackman told Larry King in an interview that his career was “probably all over,” and that he had no new scripts in front of him...."

"... telling GQ in 2011 that it would take a lot for him to make another film.
“I don’t know. If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people,” he said..."

".. on a book tour for his novel Escape from Andersonville in 2008, Hackman then told... that he didn’t want to “keep pressing” and risk “going out on a sour note...."

"Hackman turned to painting and did voice-over work and writing books. He penned the old west story Payback at Morning Peak (2011) and the police thriller Pursuit (2013), as well as co-authoring three works of historical fiction with undersea archeologist Daniel Lenihan.

"... narrated two documentary films: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jim (2016) and We, the Marines (2017).

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

more at Gene Hackman - Wikipedia

ETA: hoping this book will be released on kindle. Amazon hardback priced at $169.00. Yikes.
"Justice for None (2004), a Depression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville. By Hackman & co-author Daniel Lenihan.

Al66pine, thanks for posting that interview with Larry King.

 

[Cherwell]

Gene was still driving two years ago, so again this shows he wasn't "kept isolated in their home since Covid".

Reclusive Gene Hackman, 93, looks fit in first sighting in years

The two-time Oscar winner — who celebrated his 93rd birthday back in January — looked fit and healthy as he made a rare outing in New Mexico on Sunday.

nypost.com

 

[Sunshynn]

Gene was still driving two years ago, so again this shows he wasn't "kept isolated in their home since Covid".

MOO, but he looked pretty spry for being 93.
Also, the man was just trying to enjoy his Wendy's Chicken sandwich and had photographers all up in his face.
JMO, no wonder he and his wife were so private in their last years.