Police have launched an investigation into the death of two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog, who were all found dead in their New Mexico home, local authorities said Thursday. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 63.
According to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, deputies entered the Hackman home at around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday to conduct a wellness check at a neighbor’s request and discovered the bodies at that time, with gas company and fire department personnel on hand to make sure there were “no toxic fumes that would endanger deputies during their search,” AP News reports.
In a statement picked up by several outlets provided to TMZ, Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, suspects that carbon monoxide poisoning may have been the cause of the tragedy.
Gene Hackman starred in numerous dynamic roles throughout the 1960s and 1970s before retiring in the early 2000s. Over his 40-year career, he received five Academy Award nominations, winning the prestigious honor for his performances in “The French Connection” (1972) and “Unforgiven” (1992).
Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, while she was working at a California gym in the mid-1980s. The couple soon moved in together, settled in Santa Fe, and married in 1991. They remained together for 34 years.
Since stepping away from Hollywood, Hackman largely avoided the spotlight, though his day-to-day activities occasionally attracted attention from local news and the tabloid press. Aside from the occasional award show appearance, he remained committed to his retirement. His final film credit was the 2004 political satire “Welcome to Mooseport,” co-starring Ray Romano.
Hackman is survived by his three children from his previous marriage.
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