The passing of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has shaken Hollywood. On 26 February, the bodies of the 95-year-old actor and his 65-year-old wife were found at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For several days, the investigators asked just one question: how did Gene Hackman and his wife die?
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Especially as one of their dogs was also found dead, but the authorities were unable to explain why.
A crucial piece of information was later discovered: Gene Hackman's pacemaker recorded its last activity on 18 February 2025. Given the advanced state of decomposition of his wife's body, it was also likely that she died several days earlier.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa died a week apart
Since their bodies were found, there were many unanswered questions and much speculation online as to what happened to the two. Fortunately, the investigation into their deaths finally uncovered what really happened. It turns out that Betsy Arakawa had succumbed to a hantavirus. The coroner in charge of the case explained that the actor's wife had died as a result of this ‘flu-like illness, with symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, coughing, sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea, which can progress to shortness of breath and heart or lung failure’.
Gene Hackman remained alone in his home for several days, and since he suffered from Alzheimer's disease, it has been reported that he probably didn't realise his wife had died.
Given their rather complicated deaths, now many are wondering what will happen to the actor's fortune—given that he has three children from his previous marriage.
Who will inherit the actor's fortune?
According to reports, Gene Hackman had had no contact with his children for several months, if not years.
With a fortune of $80 million, the actor had indicated in his will drawn up in 1995 that everything should go to his wife, as revealed by TMZ.
A clause in Betsy Arakawa's will stated that if both spouses died within 90 days of each other, which was the case for the actor and his wife, their deaths would be considered simultaneous, and the entire inheritance would go to charity. This would leave Hackman's children with nothing.
However, according to BBC, the timing of their deaths actually have left a possibility for his children to inherit his fortune, even if they were not included in the will. TMZ has reported that Christopher Hackman, Gene Hackman's son, has allegedly hired a trust and estate attorney which mean he could contest the will. The children have not commented on this publicly.
This article has been translated from Voici.
Read more:
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Sources used:
TMZ: Gene Hackman Kids Not Mentioned in Will, but ...There's a Really Interesting Twist
The US Sun: HACKMAN TWIST Fresh riddle over Gene Hackman’s £62million fortune as kids could inherit cash despite NOT being named in star’s will
BBC: Hackman's children not named in actor's $80m will
