There are new details regarding Gene Hackman's health before he died.
More details are coming out regarding the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, along with their health and habits in the months leading up to their deaths. Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's bodies were discovered last week at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico during a wellness check. An investigation was opened and the autopsy revealed the couple did not die from carbon monoxide poisoning, which was at the time thought to be one possible cause of their deaths. The 95-year-old Academy Award winner and 64-year-old classical pianist were found in separate rooms of their house, and the Santa Fe police department ruled out foul play. But those close to Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa have started to speak out regarding their daily habits months before they died.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters on Friday, February 28th that Gene Hackman's pacemaker stopped sending a signal on February 17th, meaning he was dead for at least a week before his body was discovered during the wellness check. Hackman's body was found in the home's mud room near the kitchen, with Arakawa's body found near a space heater in another bathroom with an open bottle of pills on a counter, according to an affidavit. The pills consisted of Tylenol, unspecified thyroid medication, and the high blood pressure medication, diltiazem. Mendoza reiterated on Friday that the police found no evidence of foul play.
Daniel and Barbara Lenihan, a married couple that had been friends with Hackman and Arakawa, and their son Aaron, told People how Hackman's health had started declining recently, stating how over the "last couple of months, [Hackman] was really slipping there."
"In recent times, [Hackman was] essentially kind of homebound," Daniel Lenihan said, with Barbara Lenihan adding that about a year ago Hackman "quit riding his bike through the neighborhood."
"Betsy tried to keep him kind of active and engaged," Aaron said while adding that Hackman would play puzzles and do Zoom yoga sessions to stay active. "[Betsy] was still trying to keep him as active and engaged and healthy as possible," Aaron said.
As for Arakawa, Barbara told People that "Betsy was in perfect health" and "was so fit." Aaron said Betsy was always careful around Hackman, sharing that "she was very protective of him in terms of COVID, so she'd always wear a mask when we'd see her out."
Aaron went on to say that "they were one of the tightest couples I've seen." Adding, "They seemed like real-life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real, [and] a lot of fun."
Gene Hackman's friend, Doug Lanham, told TMZ that Arakawa always monitored Hackman's diet and made sure he "order either the halibut or rice-paper salmon rather than a big steak" when they dined at Hackman's bistro that he owned for years.
"They were one of the tightest couples I've seen," Lanham said. "They seemed like real life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real, [and] a lot of fun."
While the Lenihans claimed Hackman's health was declining, one of his daughters painted a different picture when speaking to the Daily Mail. Leslie Ann Hackman told the outlet that "there was no indication that there was any problem" with her father's health before his death.
"Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition," she said. However, Leslie Ann also admitted that she hadn't spoken to her father in months. A similar story was found with Betsy Arakawa and her 91-year-old mother, Yoshie Feaster, who suffers from dementia and lives in Hawaii. According to Feaster's housekeeper, Arakawa last called her mother in October.
"Betsy hadn't called her mother in months," Keiko, the housekeeper, told the Daily Mail. "She usually called every one or two months. Last time she called was in October. We were thinking, what happened?"