It’s been nearly two months since the two-time Oscar-winning star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico mansion. Now, their bodies have finally been laid to rest.
Hackman And Arakawa Are Laid To Rest
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their home on February 26. People Magazine has since learned that they were laid to rest this week in a private memorial. The small ceremony was held in Santa Fe, and it was attended by family and friends of the couple.
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991. While they had no children together, he was the father of three from a previous marriage: son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie. All three are said to have traveled to Santa Fe for their father and stepmother’s memorial service this week.
Related: Gene Hackman Death Mystery Escalates As His Family Blocks Autopsy Release – ‘Highly Unusual’
Hackman And Arakawa Found Dead
The world was stunned when the bodies of Arakawa and Hackman were found on February 26. Their remains were mummified, indicating that they had all been dead for quite some time.
It was later revealed that Arakawa died of Hantavirus, a rare flu-like virus often transmitted through rodent droppings. She likely passed away on February 12, which was when she made her last phone call.
Hackman was then in the mansion alone with her body for several days before succumbing to heart failure. Officials believe that he died on February 18, according to data from his pacemaker. After his death, it was revealed that Hackman was suffering from advance Alzheimer’s at the time of his passing. This means that he may not have been aware that his wife had died in their home days before his own death.
Fox News obtained dispatch records from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department showing that on February 26, Hackman’s youngest daughter Leslie, 58, called for a “welfare check” on her father’s home at 5:33pm. She told the dispatcher that she had received a call “5-10 min ago” from a maintenance worker saying Hackman and Arakawa had been found dead in their mansion. The dispater said that Leslie wanted a “welfare check on them but doesn’t know the actual address.”
Police had been initially called to Hackman and Arakawa’s home by a maintenance worker at 1:43 p.m. The medical examiner didn’t arrive on the scene until 10:53 p.m. Check out body camera footage from the Hackman home below.
Hackman’s $80 Million Fortune
Hackman left behind an $80 million fortune. His will, which he made in 1995, listed Arakawa as his sole inheritor.
Meanwhile, her will specifically stated that if she and Hackman were to die within 90 days of one another, their $80 million fortune should be donated to charity. It is believed that a legal battle is about to ensue that will see Hackman’s children try to get their hands on the money.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004. He was rarely seen publicly in the final two decades of his life. Instead, he was reclusive in the mansion that he shared with Arakawa.
After months of questions, we’re glad that Hackman and Arakaway have finally been laid to rest. May they both rest in peace!
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