Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman
At first she died, he died alone: what a tragic end
Hollywood star Gene Hackman’s death and his wife Betsy Arakawa raised questions. Now more is known about the circumstances – they are even more tragic than previously feared.
According to the findings of the medical investigators, it can be guessed at how tragically the life of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa ended. Only now did it become known to a general public that Hackman suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s. Investigator Heather Jarrell announced on Friday that the autopsy of his wife showed that this had probably died of a viral disease by so -called Hantaviruses on February 11th. The pathogens affect the respiratory tract. The virus is transmitted by rodents, including rats. Gene Hackman probably died of a cardiovascular disease a week later, on February 18, Jarrell continued.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa: New details about their death
That means Hackman spent the last week of his life alone in the same house with his dead wife. “It is quite possible that he didn’t know that she had died,” said the investigator. A dog of the two was also found dead in the house, two more were still alive. The deceased dog recently had an operation, which is why he was in a dog box, according to the investigators. The other two had an outlet and, thanks to a dog door in the house, access to food and water. The investigators have not yet answered the question of whether the dog was starving.
Bye-bye, Popeye: On the death of Gene Hackman
This film gave Hackman the breakthrough: in 1967 producer and leading actor Warren Beatty (right) signed him for the film “Bonnie and Clyde” directed by Arthur Penn. The film became a box office hit – and Hackman received his first Oscar nomination. From then on he was considered one of the leading actors of New Hollywood
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How Hackman’s mental condition was can only be guessed at. In his death, Hackman’s stomach was empty, which means that he hadn’t eaten anything for a long time. It can be assumed that Arakawa had taken care of her sick husband in recent years and that he was dependent on her. Fortunately, the explanations of the responsible investigators put an end to the many speculation about the death of the couple in the past few days. Suicide can be ruled out, Hackman and Arakawa died of natural death. But the circumstances are tragic.
Hackman’s legacy for the film world is immense. He won an Oscar for his performance of the rough detective “Popeye”. Almost even more important: in his parade role of this fallible police officer, who likes to break rules to grab the evil, he played in the hearts of the cinema fans. They are these memories that remain.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
