The two-time Oscar winner, known for his roles in Superman and Mississippi Burning, has passed away at the age of 95, while his wife was 63.
The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found dead alongside their dog.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead at their home in New Mexico (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail,” Santa Fe County said in a statement.
“This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.”
Gene Hackman’s marriage to Betsy Arakawa
Arakawa, from Hawaii, reportedly met the Royal Tenenbaums actor at a fitness centre in LA, where she worked as a part-time employee.
In 1984 they started dating and eventually got married seven years later.
This came as Hackman divorced from Faye Maltese, with the pair marrying in 1956 and finalising their split in 1986.
They shared children Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean and Christopher Allen.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa pictured in 2001 (Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Meanwhile, Hackman and Arakawa never had kids of their own.
“He wishes he’d been around more for his children, but now he’s close with them and their kids,” a source once told Closer Weekly.
Prior to his death, the source said the pair lived a quiet life together after Hackman quit Hollywood in 2004.
“His health is good, he still bicycles, does yard work and he’s a great handyman,” they added.
“After all the drama of Gene’s career, he loves the peaceful life he shares with the lovely Betsy.”
Speaking to Empire in 2009, Hackman said in his retirement he enjoyed ‘DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce’.
He also said the couple enjoyed watching Comedy Central together every Friday, in particular Eddie Izzard’s standup.
In April 2024, they made a rare public appearance together in Santa Fe, as the source said: “He looked a little grizzled, but in good shape.”
Hackman, who was using a cane, was seen leaving a restaurant with his wife.
Why Gene Hackman quit acting
Hackman retired from acting in 2004 (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York”, the film star explained to Empire in 2009.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Throughout his career, Hackman appeared in 79 feature films from 1961 to 2004.
During that period, the celebrated actor won two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild award.
“Ah, Gene Hackman. The finest screen actor ever, I think. Not a single duff performance, in a long, long career. And the best delivery ever of a single word: when he says ‘Cigars!’ In Young Frankenstein,” one tribute posted on X read.
“Gene Hackman’s about as good as it gets, a legend. Could be playful, menacing, could still be so vulnerable under his gruff exterior and he never ever seemed like he was acting, a total natural. Incredible face, incredible hairline, they don’t create stars like him anymore. RIP,” another added.
