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Gene Hackman and his wife’s bodies have not been claimed a month after deaths
The couple were found dead on February 26 The post Gene Hackman and his wife’s bodies have not been claimed a month after deaths appeared first on NME.
The bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife have reportedly still not been claimed a month after their deaths.
Hackman was found dead with Betsy Arakawa and their dog in their New Mexico home on February 26, after neighbourhood security conducted a welfare check. Arakawa was 65, while Hackman was 95.
Though no foul play was initially suspected, their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”, according to a search warrant affidavit.
There had been some speculation that the couple had died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas leak, but authorities were quick to rule that out as a potential cause, with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office issuing an update based on the New Mexico Gas Company’s “extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Gene Hackman’s home,” conducted on the evening of February 26.
On March 8, investigators have confirmed the cause of death for both Hackman and Arakawa, finding that they both died of natural causes, but a week apart. Arakawa was said to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents. Data from Hackman’s pacemaker suggests he died on February 18, a week after the proposed date of Arakawa’s passing.
According to TMZ, the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa have still not been claimed by family members despite being discovered a month ago. TMZ reports that they reached out to the Office of Medical Investigators in New Mexico to confirm that their names still appear on a list of unclaimed decedents as of March 27.
It is currently unclear why their bodies have yet to be claimed, though TMZ believes that their family are still finalising funeral plans. Hackman shared three children – Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne – with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese, who died in 2017.
However, Hackman left his kids out of his will and instead named Arakawa as the sole recipient of his fortune upon death. Following news of his passing, Hackman’s children and granddaughter released a joint statement, saying: “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely, and are devastated by the loss.”
A generational acting talent, with a career that spanned over six decades, Hackman has spent the last two decades or so in retirement. In 2008, he officially announced his retirement from acting.
Among the films that starred Hackman over the decades are 1971’s The French Connection, 1974’s The Conversation, 1978’s Superman, 1988’s Mississippi Burning, 1992’s Unforgiven, and 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums. His last feature film role was 2003’s Welcome to Mooseport, in which he starred alongside Ray Romano.
The post Gene Hackman and his wife’s bodies have not been claimed a month after deaths appeared first on NME.
