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

[formerreddingrunner]

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.

I know, right?
Let him enjoy his Wendy's chicken sandwich in peace.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I know I asked very early on.... Did Betsy have any family. At all? I know her "life WAS Gene", and I just feel they had a very loving relationship.... but did she have any friends or family speak up?

I guess I can understand the isolation...especially since Covid... it has become a pretty easy lifestyle.

But they DID have to get groceries and stuff. I don't think we have heard from any of those expected service providers accept the HOA person that found them.

I do wonder how those basics were getting covered..... Maybe no biggie, since we can see that all happened within only a couple of weeks....but I still thought we would hear something from somebody.... who was expected to make a visit, or something like that.

 

[Lyanna]

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.

Sometimes though, life can get in the way, maybe they'd had no contact with Mr Hackman because  their lives were busy. Not all people like to admit they could have tried harder to maintain friendships but don't do so.

Moo

 

[colombo101]

This article claims that Betsy had grown distant from her relatives in recent months. She usually called her mother every one or two months, but last time she called was October.

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, worried family by not calling dementia-stricken mother for ‘months’

"Last time she called was October. We were thinking, what happened?" a housekeeper claimed in a new interview.

www.yahoo.com

However, the Daily Mail is not the most trustworthy of sources.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/02/us/gene-hackman-betsy-arakawa-santa-fe/index.html

MOO - but they weren't exactly completely isolated.
The Doggy Day Care owner said that he had last seen Betsy in October.
Paparazzi's pictures had them in town in recent years.
Friends had seen Gene out riding his bike just last year and he was doing Zoom Yoga.

"..Until a year ago, Hackman was still riding his bicycle and Arakawa “had him doing yoga and different things at home on Zoom and trying to stay very fit,” Barbara said.."

Being private and being isolated are two different things, imo.

Maybe, since it's been reported that Gene's health was slipping in the last year that Betsy was just being extra cautious to make sure he didn't catch anything by going around people. JMO.

BBM - I agree.

We have to face the fact that Gene was 95. No amount of money or fame can fight the effects of time and aging, as much as some Hollywood types like to try. Without sounding cold and uncaring, he was approaching the end of his life. Whether that be 1 year or 1 decade, death was ultimately coming for him.

As for Betsy's impact on his quality of life, that may have been good, bad or neutral. The picture being painted is that she did what she could to keep him active and healthy. That may be the truth, with or without his full approval, but I tend to think he was not being steamrolled by her. He doesn't seem the type from the snippets of information we've heard. I believe she was just being loving and considerate, knowing that he was aging, and also considering that Covid changed the way some people interacted with the world at large. Many men often joke about "the missus" taking control and "not allowing" them to smoke, drink, eat sugar etc. It's usually said in jest, and they go along with it because they chose those actions themselves. I don't see Betsy taking control and Gene being unable to make changes. Maybe she did take control, but with his approval and only because she cared deeply for him. There were reports of his health declining of late, which would tie in with the fact they became more reclusive in the last 6 months or so.

I don't like suggestions that Betsy was anything other than a loving, caring and considerate partner, doing her best to care for her elderly lover, whilst doing everything else required of a life lived in seclusion, by choice.

All just my thoughts and opinions only.

 

[Cherwell]

This article claims that Betsy had grown distant from her relatives in recent months. She usually called her mother every one or two months, but last time she called was October.

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, worried family by not calling dementia-stricken mother for ‘months’

"Last time she called was October. We were thinking, what happened?" a housekeeper claimed in a new interview.

www.yahoo.com

However, the Daily Mail is not the most trustworthy of sources.

Perhaps her mother's dementia had worsened to the point where she no longer knew who Betsy was. There comes a point where there's nothing to be gained by calling.

 

[Snoop Sister]

The more I read and think about Gene and Betsy’s deaths…imo, they both innocently digested something poisonous or they both had some type of virus. I don’t think there was anything nefarious from outside forces. But again, that is just my opinion. I could be totally wrong.

 

[LadyL]

I was talking about whether the crate the dog was found in was open or shut. That could be something only a killer would know, which is why I find it curious that the police haven't started one way or another. Could be nothing or could be something, IDK.

Do we know if the door to the bathroom was closed? That certainly would be interesting to know.

no because the caretaker could see her body laying there

 

[Auntie Cipation]

The more I read and think about Gene and Betsy’s deaths…imo, they both innocently digested something poisonous or they both had some type of virus. I don’t think there was anything nefarious from outside forces. But again, that is just my opinion. I could be totally wrong.

I'm sure it's unrelated but I did get a bit of a shiver when I read that the recently reported measles death was an adult in New Mexico.

 

[ldlager]

Perhaps her mother's dementia had worsened to the point where she no longer knew who Betsy was. There comes a point where there's nothing to be gained by calling.

I disagree. There is always any benefit to call.
To me, it sounds like Betsy had become very reclusive in the past six months, perhaps even suffering from some depression or other mental issue. Something happened with her, and then they are both dead…

 

[ldlager]

The more I read and think about Gene and Betsy’s deaths…imo, they both innocently digested something poisonous or they both had some type of virus. I don’t think there was anything nefarious from outside forces. But again, that is just my opinion. I could be totally wrong.

I continue to believe they were poisoned. Either intentionally by a third party; intentionally as a m/s or a s/s; or unintentionally from something they ingested.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I disagree. There is always any benefit to call.
To me, it sounds like Betsy had become very reclusive in the past six months, perhaps even suffering from some depression or other mental issue. Something happened with her, and then they are both dead…

Exactly and you call to speak to your loved one's caregiver for updates.
My dad suffered from dementia for a few years before passing and it was irrelevant to me if he knew who I was at the moment or would forget our chat.
I wanted him to hear my voice and hear the words " I love you Pop".
It became too much for my mom to care for him so he lived with us for the last 2 yrs of his life which turned out to be a blessing for all.

 

[Andreee]

Does anyone know the distance from where Gene was in relation to where his wife was? Just wondering if she could have heard him fall from the bathroom or another room near the mudroom. I thought I saw blueprints earlier on the thread, not sure though. Tomorrow hopefully things will become more clear about what happened at the press conference by LE!

 

[Andreee]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897438776609399245

Regarding the press conference tomorrow, I wonder where it will be televised. Being it is 2 pm MST, that means it will be 1 pm for us west coasters.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

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.

Paparazzi are disgusting scumbags.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

As for Betsy's impact on his quality of life, that may have been good, bad or neutral. The picture being painted is that she did what she could to keep him active and healthy. That may be the truth, with or without his full approval, but I tend to think he was not being steamrolled by her. He doesn't seem the type from the snippets of information we've heard.

I don't like suggestions that Betsy was anything other than a loving, caring and considerate partner, doing her best to care for her elderly lover, whilst doing everything else required of a life lived in seclusion, by choice.

All just my thoughts and opinions only.

In my experience relationships where one person is getting steamrolled by the other don't last 34 years.

I agree with your last paragraph.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

no because the caretaker could see her body laying there

Not necessarily. The caretaker could have looked in the exterior bathroom window and seen her there. The interior bathroom door may have been closed or open. I'd guess open.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

In my experience relationships where one person is getting steamrolled by the other don't last 34 years.

I agree with your last paragraph.

I was imagining the potential steamrolling would be in relation to the last few years, when he stopped getting out and about and his health may have started slipping, not the entire relationship. That's moot though, as I don't believe it happened anyway.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Perhaps her mother's dementia had worsened to the point where she no longer knew who Betsy was. There comes a point where there's nothing to be gained by calling.

I disagree. There's always something to be gained for me personally. Not necessarily by talking to a loved one suffering from dementia, but to their care givers. Just because a beloved family member or friend is being lost to their own world, it doesn't mean you stop caring about them and wanting to know they're doing as well as can be expected. The love and concern is still there. Updates may become too painful for some to hear, and they may stop calling because of their own feelings. Not something I would agree with, but it happens no doubt. I think of it much like attending a funeral. You don't do it for the benefit of the deceased, they're no longer around to know. You do it as a sign of love and respect (and for their living loved ones).

 

[Izzylizzy]

Press conference 4pm ET Friday
Digital expert on crime Heather Barnhart explains it all.

"Detectives in Santa Fe, New Mexico collected several pieces of evidence from the home of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa after their bodies were discovered last week. Among the evidence included two “green in color cellular devices.” Law&Crime’s Chris Stewart explains what those devices could hold and the clues they’ll give investigators who are working to solve this mysterious death investigation on this episode of On the Case.'