Legendary actor Gene Hackman, known for his iconic roles in films like The French Connection and Unforgiven, tragically passed away alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their New Mexico home on Wednesday. The couple, along with their dog, was discovered deceased, though his daughter had recently shared that her father was in “good” health prior to this devastating loss. The circumstances surrounding their deaths are still under investigation, leaving many in shock and mourning the passing of a Hollywood legend.
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Hackman’s daughter reveals he was in ‘good physical condition’ before his death
Hackman’s younger daughter, Leslie Hackman told Daily Mail, “Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition. He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So, he was in good health.”
However, she also admitted that her father’s death was not “terribly shocking’ given he was 95 years old while his wife, Betsy, was 64. She described her relationship with Hackman as “close” regardless of the fact that they had not seen each other in the past couple of months as Leslie resides in California. She added, “Everything was normal and everything was good.”
She told the US Weekly that while The Unforgiven actor was purportedly healthy, “his memory was fading.” She shared, “He recently had a birthday and his wife had to remind [him] three times it was his birthday.”
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Hackman’s daughter ‘anxious’ to know the cause of death
Leslie revealed to US Weekly that she is “very anxious to find out what happened,” as the cause of Hackman and Betsy is still being investigated. The couple is believed to be dead for at least a day before the authorities discovered them. Leslie confirmed that their neighbours called the police to check on Hackman and Betsy after they had not heard from the latter ‘in a couple of weeks.”
She said, “There was one dog inside the house [deceased] and one or two loose [dogs] inside the yard, so they called the police to do a welfare check.” The youngest child of Hackman suspected that the cause of death could be carbon monoxide poisoning, however, there were “no signs of a gas leak.” She added that the couple’s deaths were “very strange” as the pair “never” had any problems at their home in New Mexico.
She shared, “ much would have rather my dad pass peacefully, but hopefully if it was carbon monoxide poisoning [there was] no suffering with that. That’s my main concern.” According to TMZ, the deaths are labelled as “suspicious” despite authorities previously suspected “ no foul play.”
