Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office stated that deputies arrived for a welfare check at approximately 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, where they discovered Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 63, and their dog deceased. Officials have not disclosed the cause of death but indicated that foul play is not suspected. The investigation remains ongoing.
Hackman, widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, built a career portraying villains, heroes, and antiheroes in a range of dramas, comedies, and action films spanning from the 1960s to his retirement in the early 2000s. He earned five Academy Award nominations, winning Best Actor for *The French Connection* in 1972 and Best Supporting Actor for *Unforgiven* in 1993. His passing comes just four days before this year’s Oscars ceremony.
Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist from Hawaii, while she was working at a California gym in the mid-1980s, according to a 1989 *New York Times* report. The couple moved in together shortly afterward and purchased their home in Santa Fe by the end of the decade.
Their residence, a Southwestern-style ranch in a gated community outside Santa Fe, is perched on a hill with views of the Rocky Mountains. Hackman was a well-known figure in the local community, serving on the board of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in the 1990s, according to *The New Mexican*.
Despite occasional appearances at awards shows, Hackman distanced himself from Hollywood’s social scene and fully retired from acting about 20 years ago. In his later years, he focused on writing novels.
Hackman had three children from a previous marriage, though he and Arakawa had no children together. The couple adopted three German shepherds in 1999, as reported by *The Baltimore Sun*.
In a 2020 interview with *Empire* magazine, Hackman shared that he and Arakawa enjoyed watching DVDs at home. “We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.
An email to Hackman’s publicist seeking comment was not immediately returned early Thursday.
