Gene Hackman’s Death Linked to Heart Disease, Follows Wife’s Hantavirus Passing

A medical probe into the death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman indicates he likely died a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to hantavirus, according to Variety.

An update on the couple’s deaths, previously labeled “suspicious” in a late last month search warrant, comes from New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell. She confirmed Hackman, 95, died of cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s contributing to his passing.

Arakawa, 65, is believed to have died on February 11, 15 days before their bodies were found in their New Mexico home. The CDC notes hantavirus as a group of viruses that can lead to severe illness or death, typically spread by rodents like mice or rats.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza reported in a recent press briefing that security footage showed Arakawa visiting a Sprouts market and CVS on the day she died. She also spoke with a massage therapist that day. Hackman’s pacemaker logged its last activity on February 17, indicating he passed a week after Arakawa. The couple, along with a deceased dog, were found in separate rooms with no evidence of a gas leak, and autopsies ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning.

The news of Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, which broke on February 27, stunned the film industry. Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, starred in iconic films like Superman, The French Connection, and Unforgiven before retiring in 2004. He told Empire his retirement followed medical advice to avoid heart strain.

For more on Hackman’s legacy, check out our list of his 20 best films.