Gene Hackman & His Wife Found Dead on the Same Day — Inside Their Love Story That Spanned 3 Decades

The two-time Oscar winner and his longtime partner shared a 31-year age difference. Though they spent years together in marriage, they never had children.

Veteran actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were recently discovered deceased on the same day. They had been together for three decades.

On the afternoon of February 26, 2025, authorities arrived at the couple’s residence in the Santa Fe Summit community, northeast of the city, where they were found unresponsive. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza later confirmed, just after midnight on Thursday, that Hackman and Arakawa had passed away, along with their dog.

He reported that there were no immediate indications of foul play but did not disclose a cause of death or an estimated time of passing. Deputies responded to the couple’s home on Old Sunset Trail, a gated community off Hyde Park Road near Ten Thousand Waves, to look into the deaths of two elderly individuals and a dog.

It was not immediately clear whether they were responding to a report or conducting a welfare check. Inside the home, they found the bodies of a man in his 90s and a woman in her 60s, according to Mendoza.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office stated that Hackman and Arakawa were in separate rooms. Three dogs were in the home, with one found deceased. The cause of death remains undetermined, pending autopsy results.

"All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant," Mendoza stated before the couple had been officially identified. He reassured the public, "There's no immediate danger to anyone."

News of Hackman and Arakawa's deaths circulated online, prompting reactions from users on X. Many questioned the circumstances, while others expressed shock and sadness.

"What? That doesn't sound real," one person commented. Another wrote, "Three dead (including the dog), but the Sheriff sees no foul play. Alright. Nothing to see here, move on!" A different user remarked, "Something strange here [sic]." Others shared their grief, with one stating, "Terrible news," while another added, "Wow 🤯 all three and no foul play?? RIP."

Hackman, 95, had called Santa Fe home since the 1980s. He met Arakawa while she was working part-time at a fitness center in California, and the two married in 1991.

They lived together in a two-bedroom adobe house on a sprawling plain outside Santa Fe. During the late 1980s, Hackman spent time painting, sketching, and engaging in solitary hobbies, often seen driving one of his two pickup trucks.

At home, Hackman appreciated life's quieter moments. "DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce," he once shared.

Friday nights were dedicated to Comedy Channel marathons, where he paid special attention to Eddie Izzard, admiring "the speed of thought." He also spent time fishing and painting, hobbies he had enjoyed for years with considerable skill.

In a 2020 interview, an insider revealed that Hackman was in good health, remained active by bicycling and doing yard work, and was skilled at handling repairs around the house. According to the source, after the intensity of his career, the movie star appreciated the quiet life he shared with Arakawa.

The actor stepped away from Hollywood in 2004 after decades in the industry and two Academy Award wins. In a 2009 interview, he acknowledged that he had retired, stating that while he had never made a formal announcement, he had no plans to return to acting.

The California native had been advised not to announce his retirement in case an exceptional role emerged, but he no longer had the desire to continue acting.

When asked if he missed acting, he admitted, "Yes, I do. I miss the actual acting part of it, as it's what I did for almost 60 years, and I really loved that." His decades-long career included a range of memorable performances that left a lasting impact on Hollywood.

He delivered unforgettable performances, earning an Academy Award for portraying Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in "The French Connection" (1971) and winning best supporting actor as Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in "Unforgiven" (1992).

His diverse filmography also included Buck Barrow, Clyde's brother, in "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), an FBI agent investigating civil rights murders in "Mississippi Burning" (1988), and the iconic villain Lex Luthor in several "Superman" films of the 1970s and 1980s.

During this time, Hackman was also navigating his personal life. He married his first wife, Fay Maltese, in 1956, and they remained together until 1986.

The couple had three children: a son, Christopher, and daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie. However, his career often kept him away from his family, something he later regretted.

He admitted that his career had created distance between him and his son during crucial years, explaining that working on location kept him away at a time when his child needed support and guidance.

In later years, he reconnected with his children. According to an insider, he regretted not being more present but had since grown close to them and their families.

Meanwhile, the pressures of the industry had taken a toll. The compromises involved in filmmaking became unavoidable, leading Hackman to step away from acting altogether.

His decision to step away from acting was ultimately influenced by a stress test he underwent in New York. During another interview, the veteran star explained that the results indicated his heart was not in the condition required to handle additional strain, prompting him to leave the industry for good.

His decision to leave the spotlight was unsurprising, as fame had never been his focus. "I was trained to be an actor, not a star," Hackman once said. "I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press."

When asked how he wanted to be remembered, the award-winning star expressed, "As a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to him in an honest fashion."

Leaving Hollywood gave Hackman the opportunity to pursue writing. In the late 1990s, he teamed up with fellow Santa Fe resident Daniel Lenihan, and together they wrote several books, including "Escape From Andersonville: A Novel of the Civil War," published in 2008.

The film star found writing to be a welcome change from the demands of filmmaking. He described the process as "very relaxing" and admitted, "I don't picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process, especially on this book," referring to "Escape From Andersonville: A Novel of the Civil War."

Hackman later wrote two novels on his own, releasing "Payback at Morning Peak" in 2011 and "Pursuit" in 2013. Research played a significant role in his work, and he acknowledged that while it could be stressful, it was a more manageable form of pressure.

Unlike the demands of a film set, where dozens of people awaited his performance, writing allowed him to work alone and control the pace of his creative process.

The author saw a clear connection between acting and writing, describing the shift as a natural progression. He explained that both crafts involved asking fundamental questions: where a character was coming from, where they were going, and what they wanted.

These simple considerations, he believed, could guide both an actor's performance and a writer's storytelling. Writing provided a sense of solitude, and in his later years, Hackman largely stayed out of the public eye.

Although he made few appearances, they occasionally attracted attention. When he attended a show at the Lensic in 2018, the British newspaper The Independent covered the event.

Gene Hackman's life was one of remarkable achievements, from his decades-long acting career to his later years as a writer. His performances left a lasting impact on Hollywood, earning him critical acclaim and two Academy Awards.

Though fame was never his priority, his dedication to his craft made him one of the most respected actors of his time. Beyond the screen, he found fulfillment in writing, quiet moments at home, and reconnecting with his family.

While his decision to step away from the spotlight marked the end of an era, his legacy lives on through the unforgettable characters he brought to life and the stories he chose to tell.