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

[ttjo]

As somebody’s who’s mother was murdered in October,
Here’s some of what I’ve learned:

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[friendlysleuther]

RSBM
Please accept my sincere sympathies for your loss.

I am sorry for your loss.

I never know what to say when people say this to me. Thank you. It means a lot, & please know— I didn’t say this for attention & sympathy, rather to explain what I’ve come to learn first hand..
(best source I could find, to explain what I had learned...)

---

So.. What do you guys think about the sunglasses pics I posted? Does that change anybody’s theories on the time of day it was, or anything of the sort?

 

[scandinavian girl]

My farrier had a aneurysm while shoeing my horse, he just fell to the floor unconsious and died later in hospital. He was probably in his 40´s. I will never forget it.

 

[Lucy6226]

I think the ‘cognitive decline’ is overhyped

He had online yoga sessions via Zoom on a daily basis so will have been able to understand and process instructions from the teacher and copy the moves the teacher did

If he can do that I would have thought he would have the thought process to at least do basic tasks at home or know how to use a phone

Agreed. It boarders on ageism imo. Just because he was 95 doesn't mean he had cognitive decline. Yes as we age there is some mild decline, but older people are more likely to struggle with physical ailments due to years of strain on a body. All moo.

 

[ttjo]

I never know what to say when people say this to me. Thank you. It means a lot, & please know— I didn’t say this for attention & sympathy, rather to explain what I’ve come to learn first hand..
(best source I could find, to explain what I had learned...)

---

So.. What do you guys think about the sunglasses pics I posted? Does that change anybody’s theories on the time of day it was, or anything of the sort?

I wondered if they had gone for a morning walk and had just returned, one of them over exerting themselves? but he had bedroom sliippers on, so maybe they were about to go outside?

 

[crazychris]

Gene suffering cardiac arrest is my top theory

From the linked article:

Given the new findings, Dr. Baden believes that the retired star may have suffered from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia episode - a malfunction of the heart's electrical system that occurs when the signals telling the heart to beat don't work properly.

My daughter, 22, died from that in 2018 and it leaves absolutely no trace for the post mortem. It's not a heart attack but just the heart stops beating. After every test came back negative it went down as SADS, sudden adult death syndrome, Think adult cot death.

 

[STAGNUM]

It doesn't, because this isn't discussed anywhere & is a wild assumption IMO

..

..

If this were true, then they would of been inhaling known toxic gasses & would of had the common sense to get out of the house..

<modsnip: Quoted/referenced post was modsnipped>

Hey you are welcome to your own theories. I am not gonna debate it with you any further. It was reported that person RB was doing some pest control about 2 weeks prior. RB was the one reporting to 911, RB exclaimed "Damn" repeatedly as he described what he was seeing to 911.

 

[Izzylizzy]

This magnificent home must surely have had some cleaning people. And you would assume at least every 2 weeks.

imo:
One would think but you never know.
People who seclude themselves can get into some strange unhealthy living habits/environments.
It appears that they may not have been entertaining in their home and no mention of the home condition when their bodies were found.

I was thinking about food and did BA go out shopping or were super market deliveries made to the house and if so when was the last one?

Restaurant deliveries too and if food was delivered did BA and/or GH engage with deliver persons or was everything just left at the door with no contact?

 

[Soulmagent]

On the topic of cleaning —
“Did they not have Maids?” Etc, etc that I’ve seen—

• With larger homes as theirs, they’re not going to get as dirty as our homes would. Why? Because there’s a lot more space for items (less-clutter, if you have an issue with that due to space) , and simply because there’s so much more room in the home for dust, dirt and debris to go to in a (let’s say) 8,000 sq ft home, rather a 2,000 sq ft home.
• With them not having any kids in the house, that could also be why they didn’t feel like they needed a maid. It’s just the two of them. They probably weren’t making big messes, not on the go 24/7, etc— (other than the German Shepherd hair )
• At their ages, a lot of people get in the mood of.. “No! I’ll do it myself! I have always done it and I will continue: I won’t allow my age to change anything.”
• ^—-> My great grandfather lived to be 98 years old. He was still getting around as if he were 30+ years younger, at the time of his death. Him being active is what kept him going for so long (IMO)

Why does all of these make me feel you spent a good portion of your life watching old people fight? Mainly your last two bullet points.

 

[STAGNUM]

Someone posted this before I think, but there are similarities down to the use of a space heater because of "furnace problems".

Actress Alicia Witt's Parents' Cause of Death Revealed Two Months After Their Sudden Deaths

Alicia Witt first shared the news of her parents' deaths in December

people.com

 

[Cardgame]

Agreed. It boarders on ageism imo. Just because he was 95 doesn't mean he had cognitive decline. Yes as we age there is some mild decline, but older people are more likely to struggle with physical ailments due to years of strain on a body. All moo.

Agreed.

Elderly people are of course more vulnerable, but IMo this means we should be *more* alert when things happen to them, not less.

They can also be 'easy targets'.

And these were high net worth individuals, with a lifestyle that made them extra vulnerable - no security cameras, no family regularly checking in.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we don't have nearly enough information yet to assert with any confidence that nothing nefarious has happened to these two human beings.

Hope im wrong of course.

ETA forgot to type the word cameras!

 

[Cherwell]

Where does it say BA did all the household chores? Please link it.

It doesn't, but they don't seem to have had a cleaner. If they did, surely their bodies would have been discovered much sooner.

 

[IceIce9]

But..People don’t just drop dead and die—

They have a brain bleed after a fall, or blunt force trauma, a stroke, seizure, heart attack, etc…

People suffer from cardiac events and do simply drop dead and die.

As I posted upthread, many deaths have undetermined causes. It is fairly common.

The husband of one of my cousins “dropped dead” at age 32. His heart just stopped beating. No reason for his heart to stop beating was discovered during autopsy or tox testing.

 

[IceIce9]

Maybe she did, plenty of women her age do. But probably most of those are not caring for a 95 year old spouse. It's not impossible that she did it all herself, but I would find it surprising. Of course, we don't know what state their home was in, maybe her housekeeping was the bare minimum (and who am I to criticise? )

Maybe they didn’t use all the rooms if they no longer entertained.

[mod snip off topic]

 

[friendlysleuther]

<snipped> It was reported that person RB was doing some pest control about 2 weeks prior. RB was the one reporting to 911, RB exclaimed "Damn" repeatedly as he described what he was seeing to 911.

It was never reported that he was doing some pest control 2 weeks prior. If it was, can you show me where?

 

[ClearAhead]

Maybe she did, plenty of women her age do. But probably most of those are not caring for a 95 year old spouse. It's not impossible that she did it all herself, but I would find it surprising. Of course, we don't know what state their home was in, maybe her housekeeping was the bare minimum (and who am I to criticise? )

It does seem she had enormous responsibilities if she had no help. House keeping that huge house, laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, caring for three dogs, possibly assisting her 95 year old husband with things such as dressing and bathing or at least watching over his wellbeing. It just doesn’t seem as if there’d be enough hours in the day for one person to manage all that, reclusive lifestyle or not. Something isn’t adding up. I’m wondering if we’ll learn the couple had given the hired help time off during their final days together.
JMO

 

[tomstrees]

I've seen caregiver burnout, ive seen depression turn into aggression too , it was with dementia, b/c the wife couldnt understand why he couldnt put his pants on but could beat her in chess or checkers and from her perspective, she was tired enough and if he could beat her in checkers he could put his pants on, when youre tired and feeling manipulated , not a good combo. its just the illness, some areas are great and some suffer, Not saying thats the case here, just saying caregiver burnout is a real thing. You have to really be informed on how that illness works.

I just don't understand the lack of professional care workers with virtually unlimited wealth, status, etc.. I had a friend, "Peter" a cancer patient, etc., who was living with a kind woman who became a care giver. There came a point at which she could no longer care for him and I was called to contact 911 where he was taken to a nursing home. I can understand they'd try to avoid a care facility or hospital, but there comes a time when that is unavoidable usually.

 

[IceIce9]

Someone posted this before I think, but there are similarities down to the use of a space heater because of "furnace problems".

Actress Alicia Witt's Parents' Cause of Death Revealed Two Months After Their Sudden Deaths

Alicia Witt first shared the news of her parents' deaths in December

people.com

Many people have space heaters in their bathrooms though, to make them warmer than the rest of the home when they want to shower.

I’m sure the furnace was or will be inspected during the investigation to see if it was in good working condition.

 

[LoveyG]

Also, it seems possible that, related to his advanced age, GH might’ve had some vision and/or hearing and/or dexterity issues that prevented him from being able to place calls from the cellphone unassisted, or caused him to struggle to carry on a conversation on a small mobile device. My own Dad passed away at the age of 87 1/2 and in the last year of his life, health conditions that seem common in very elderly people—shaking hands, poor vision, and limited hearing—made trying to speak with him by phone an exercise in frustration for us both. GH may have experienced these infirmities to some degree, which could account for the limited phone contact he seems to have had with his kids, as well as for GH not placing an emergency call if Betsy’s health incident occurred before his own.

I agree. Communication with my own elderly father was difficult. We'd end up just kind of yelling stuff back and forth for a few minutes. However, Gene had a young wife who you would think could receive and participate in phone calls from his children checking in on him. Did this not happen?

 

[IceIce9]

It does seem she had enormous responsibilities if she had no help. House keeping that huge house, laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, caring for three dogs, possibly assisting her 95 year old husband with things such as dressing and bathing or at least watching over his wellbeing. It just doesn’t seem as if there’d be enough hours in the day for one person to manage all that, reclusive lifestyle or not. Something isn’t adding up. I’m wondering if we’ll learn the couple had given the hired help time off during their final days together.
JMO

Agreed. It boarders on ageism imo. Just because he was 95 doesn't mean he had cognitive decline. Yes as we age there is some mild decline, but older people are more likely to struggle with physical ailments due to years of strain on a body. All moo.

Except in this case we do know that Gene’s health was declining.

Gene Hackman's declining health before his death revealed by family friends

Family friends have revealed that Gene Hackman's health had been deteriorating in the months leading up to his tragic passing.Speaking to PEOPLE on February 28, the family friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan and their son, Aaron,...

www.geo.tv

Family friends have revealed that Gene Hackman’s health had been deteriorating in the months leading up to his tragic passing.