Why Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa went 21 years without being seen in public after leading very private life
Yesterday (26 February), police confirmed that Hollywood legend, Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead in their Santa Fe home along with their pet dog.
A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff in New Mexico said there is an 'active investigation' into the death.
"We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail," the department said. "This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor."
The tragic news came a year after the pair were last spotted in public together, having gone over two decades before that without being seen.
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Hackman, who enjoyed a decade-spanning Hollywood career earning earning two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, and classical pianist Arakawa tied the knot in 1991 and have largely kept their personal life out of the public eye.
In the 1980s, the pair packed up their belongings and left La La Land for the peace and quiet of New Mexico before Hackman eventually announced he was retiring from showbiz.
"I haven't held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I'm not going to act any longer," he told Reuters in 2008. "I really don't want to do it any longer."
Since then, the couple kept to themselves with Arakawa in particular being extremely private with no known social media or interviews about herself or her love life - something which Hackman said influenced their decision to live in Santa Fe.
In fact, the couple went from 2003 to 2024 without being spotted in public at all.
"Where we live, in Santa Fe, you can lead your own life and not be bothered by the latest gossip," he told the Irish Independent back in 2000.
While Hackman and Arakawa don't have children together, she is the stepmother to the Heartbreakers star's three children from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese.
"It's tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity," Hackman continued. "I couldn't always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they've had my success always hanging over their heads."
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in an interview that there was no immediate indication of foul play in the pair's death.
"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.
He added: "I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone."
Mendoza provided neither a cause of death nor any indication of when the couple might have died.
Tyla has reached out to a representative for Hackman for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Gene Hackman
Rhiannon Ingle