Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found deceased in their Santa Fe home earlier this week. The death has been shocking to everyone who loved the actor. There have been tributes pouring in from the world over.
As people remember the actor’s life, they also want to know about his later years, where he mainly withdrew from the public eye. But he did make rare appearances every now and then.
Gene Hackman was spotted in public for the first time in over twenty years, just a year before his death.
The French Connection actor was 95 years old at the time of his death, while his wife Betsy Arakawa was 63. Alongside them, their dog also passed away in their New Mexico residence on 26 February, 2025.
“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 an official statement made after the actor’s demise.
“This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor,” they shared. Hackman and his wife were spotted in public last year, almost 21 years after his last public sighting.
In the pictures from the sighting, the couple, who had been married since 1991, was seen exiting Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hackman was seen holding on to his wife’s arm with his other hand holding his cane. You can look at some of the pictures shared here, on X.
Hackman met his wife Arakawa in LA where she worked part-time in a fitness center. The two of them began dating in 1984.
Hackman divorced his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1986. He had married her in 1956. During their marriage, they welcomed three children: Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean, and Christopher Allen.
