Gene Hackman dead at 95: Iconic actor and wife, 63, are found dead with their dog at Santa Fe home. #3

[Sunshynn]

MSN

<modsnip>...this links to an AP article.

What we all kind of suspected with poor Zina.

 

[priyaya]

Personally think they should just give it to the dogs

 

[priyaya]

Here it is in AP News

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's dog likely died of dehydration and starvation, report says

An examination of the dog found dead along with actor Gene Hackman and his wife in their Santa Fe home shows dehydration and starvation were likely what led to the animal's demise.

apnews.com

"details partial mummification and noted that while the severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death."
makes it pretty clean Zinna had been gone a long time as well, and even more reason to accept that Betsy would have passed early, with the dog not long after.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I, for one, hope the children inherit and Betsy's mother is cared for. (Something for the 20-year Hawaiian housekeeper caregiver too!) If the estate is 80 million (don't know where I got that figure) that is more than enough for all, including dogs and charities. I choose to believe the children did their best to care for and be in touch with their parents. How the parents responded to those efforts, I can't say. But no one asks to be born, and many an inheritance has softened the difficulties of childhood. I believe as horrible as this whole story is, it is doubly horrible for the children who must continue to live with the consequences, accusations, and media attention.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

One more article. This from Vanity Fair. Makes everything about the will very simple and clear but apologize if it is behind a paywall.

Gene Hackman Reportedly Left His Fortune to Wife Betsy Arakawa

The two-time Oscar winner’s will reportedly does not name his three children, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie.

www.vanityfair.com

 

[arielilane]

According to TMZ, Hackman’s son has already hired a prominent California trust and estate attorney, which is a high indicator that he’s likely to challenge the will.

Gene Hackman’s kids not mentioned in his will — here’s what could happen to his $80M fortune

His son Christopher has allegedly already hired an attorney.

nypost.com

3/14/2025

 

[Warwick7]

I, for one, hope the children inherit and Betsy's mother is cared for. (Something for the 20-year Hawaiian housekeeper caregiver too!) If the estate is 80 million (don't know where I got that figure) that is more than enough for all, including dogs and charities. I choose to believe the children did their best to care for and be in touch with their parents. How the parents responded to those efforts, I can't say. But no one asks to be born, and many an inheritance has softened the difficulties of childhood. I believe as horrible as this whole story is, it is doubly horrible for the children who must continue to live with the consequences, accusations, and media attention.

Beautifully written...

 

[LadyL]

MSN

<modsnip> ...this links to an AP article.

What we all kind of suspected with poor Zina.

heartbreaking

 

[NCWatcher]

<modsnip- quoted post was removed (not victim friendly)

The DM quotes a longtime friend as saying during the marriage GH worked in bars and restaurants before becoming a success in Hollywood. His wife apparently worked in a bank. When they first met he was still in the Marines.

Gene Hackman and wife time of death may hold key to $80mn inheritance

A week ago, it seemed as if all the questions about the death of Gene Hackman, found 'partially mummified' in his home alongside his younger wife, had been answered.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In press reports so far, I've seen photos of GH with his daughters as late as the 1990s. The last photo I've seen that includes his son was taken in the 1970s. So if there was an estrangement with his son, I don't blame BA for it. In fact, both daughters have seemed to say BA encouraged them to visit them in NM. While we don't know who the beneficiaries of the trust GH had set up (the one of which BA was supposed to be a trustee) I also don't believe non-minor children, whether "flesh and blood" or adopted, or whether middle-aged or elderly, "have a right'" to an inheritance from a parent. Of course, that's a matter of opinion as is the opposite view. Since there seems to be medical evidence showing BA died first, "the kids" may inherit because of the particular circumstances, not because of their inherent right to a parent's money, and that's ok with me too.
MOO

 

[ClearAhead]

Sadly thats what i see too. To have so much and not even mention them is astonishing.
Even in my family despite the pain drama and resentment, the wills were always predictably even distribution to all children, or their beneficiaries.
That said I personally believe that we should honor the wishes of the dead even when it sucks. I would also be interested to see if he had other ways of funding his children throughout their life outside the will. I

We know GH had Trusts established because his home wasn’t in his personal name. However we do not know the terms of the trusts. But just because the children were not named as beneficiaries in the Will certainly does not mean we can conclude they were written out of the Trusts as well.

 

[Knox]

Yeah, some Wills do seem unfair.

I don't think there is any doubt BA died before GH so a "simultaneous death clause" wouldn't be needed in his Will. She cannot inherit under GH's Will (although I am not an attorney!) And the 90-day clause in her Will would obviously keep him from inheriting from her. We don't know about GH's trusts, of course.

His oldest "child" who supposedly has hired an attorney and may challenge the Will is apparently 65. Gene Hackman's 3 Children: All About Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie

I don't know that any child, especially an elderly one, has a "right" to an inheritance. And it does appear GH had less of a relationship with that child in past decades than with his daughters. That's their business of course but it may affect legal claims beyond what GH specified.

I do wonder if anything will go for BA's mother's care. BA obviously would have expected to outlive her, I'd think.

MOO

I wondered about that too, no provision for her Mom? I guess she never considered the chance she would pass before her. But isn’t a will usually set up with those possibilities in mind?

 

[Joe Friday]

You would think there would be wordage that would say next of kin or surviving family members. If there were any family members she definitely wanted excluded you would think that would be in there too.

I take it she has no children of her own. Don't know if we know of any siblings. Only person I know of that would be a blood relative would be her mother.

Could the trusts set up years ago be for GH children with monthly payments being made to them for all these years?

JMO

 

[ttjo]

My aunt and uncle adopted three children. She wasn't one of my nicest or kindest aunts. And growing up she was a demanding parent. Anyway...her husband died and left his estate to her and when she died she decided to leave all her money to her husband's nephew (his blood nephew).

We were all shocked. It wasn't right. Altho we were shocked we weren't surprised.

He took care of the estate and in about 90 days when the last bill was paid he divided the remaining money between my three cousins.

We all couldn't believe it. When I asked him about it he told me, "...it was the right thing to do. That money doesn't belong to me it belongs to them."

This only my meager 2 cents but sometimes things need to be challenged....

Your nephew sounds like an amazing person. I agree with you about some things that need to be challenged. This story reminds me of Joan Crawford ( Mommy Dearest)
I don't know about his ( GH) relationship with his kids, if it was good or not. I have heard GH himself admit things were rough because he was away, and he had regrets. I have also heard him say in those interviews (Larry King) that what was important to him is that his family was provided for.
I think this would be so tough to sort through, should it matter about the relationships, and why they were the way they were? Do you have to justify why?
Do you just honor what someone writes in their will despite the fairness? I don't envy anyone who has to go through that.

Wasn't there a rich person who donated all their money to their dog or the SPCA ? Maybe Leona Helmsley?

 

[NCWatcher]

I wondered about that too, no provision for her Mom? I guess she never considered the chance she would pass before her. But isn’t a will usually set up with those possibilities in mind?

One would think. Of course, we don't know the mother's financial situation (nor, I admit, is it really our business.) Although BA is apparently her only child and did stay in touch (albeit in ways some find objectionable), perhaps the mother inherited money from other relatives along the way. The Hackmans signed their Wills in 2005 & the mother would have been on her early 70s then while BA was 46. The mom probably didn't have Alzheimer's in 2005 but you'd think an attorney would have suggested that unexpected things can and do happen.
MOO
..

 

[Auntie Cipation]

The DM quotes a longtime friend as saying during the marriage GH worked in bars and restaurants before becoming a success in Hollywood. His wife apparently worked in a bank. When they first met he was still in the Marines.

That would have been referring to his first wife, not BA.

 

[NCWatcher]

That would have been referring to his first wife, not BA.

Yes, I'm aware of that. As can be seen, the post I quoted was removed by the mods after I posted so that may not have been clear.
MOO

 

[ClearAhead]

I wondered about that too, no provision for her Mom? I guess she never considered the chance she would pass before her. But isn’t a will usually set up with those possibilities in mind?

I hadn’t noticed it was confirmed anywhere that Betsy is financially responsible for her mom’s care. Maybe the woman has financial resources of her own?

Besides who pays for what generally isn’t the type of private information released to the public.

 

[Knox]

I hadn’t noticed it was confirmed anywhere that Betsy is financially responsible for her mom’s care. Maybe the woman has financial resources of her own?

Besides who pays for what generally isn’t the type of private information released to the public.

You did read what I was responding too right? In addition to the OP's musing in the last sentence. I had also read that her estate will clear any medical debt which may exist, then be disbursed among the charities of her choosing. But since you jumped off my post to add your own thoughts, I'll add a caveat to mine - JMO.

 

[browneyes]

I am not in favor of not honoring a deceased’s person’s wishes. If he excluded his children, he had a reason. It doesn’t matter if the estate is 800 million or 80 dollars.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

In my experience, a will has to specifically exclude immediate heirs if that is the intention. Lawyers do that so that a will cannot be contested and the deceased's wishes are very clear. (My mother excluded a daughter-in-law that way. My uncle excluded me that way.) If the chain of inheritance is murky, as it sounds like this one may be, or if the estate planning assumed BA would survive GH and she didn't, then the children have every right to pursue the estate legally, as immediate next of kin. I'm not a lawyer, jmho. -- as for why it should interest me, those poor dogs who may be in legal limbo!