Gene Hackman's Wife Was Protective of His Health for Years, Both Are Gone: CNN/Yahoo [View all]

Gene Hackman’s wife was protective of his health for years. She died of hantavirus and days later, he was gone. CNN, March 8, 2025.
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For years, actor Gene Hackman’s doting wife Betsy Arakawa would do whatever she could to help keep him healthy, whether it meant wearing a mask everywhere she went or encouraging him to stay fit by riding his bike or doing yoga on Zoom. In late February, the couple was found dead in their New Mexico home, a heartrending end to the life they shared. Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus and days later, Hackman, 95, died of heart disease, the New Mexico medical investigator’s office revealed Friday.

Authorities, working to lay out a timeline of what happened, said Hackman had Alzheimer’s disease and may have not realized he was alone in the days before he died. Clues as to what the couple’s life looked like before their tragic deaths could be gleaned from their last interactions with loved ones. Close and longtime friends of the couple say they seemed to be in good health at their most recent encounter. “Last time we saw them, they were alive and well,” Daniel Lenihan told CNN’s Erin Burnett last week. Barbara, Lenihan’s wife, said she had last seen Arakawa a few weeks ago at a home decor shop the two had opened together in Santa Fe.

“They were so delightful to be around,” Barbara said, adding how proud Hackman and Arakawa were of each other. “Probably never seen a couple that got along and enjoyed each other so much.” Using evidence gathered from their home, authorities pieced together what they now believe happened, answering many of the questions behind what began as a mystery. Investigators believe she died first.

Arakawa’s last known interactions were on February 11. She had a short email exchange with her massage therapist that morning and later visited a Sprouts Farmers Market, CVS pharmacy and a dog food store before returning to her gated community at around 5:15 p.m., Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. After that, there was no other known activity or outgoing communication from her, the sheriff said...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gene-hackman-wife-protective-health-083117069.html