Earlier this week, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe residence. Everyone who loved the actor has been shocked by his passing. Tributes have been coming in from all over the world.
People are curious about the actor’s later years, when he mostly distanced himself from the spotlight, as they recall his life. However, he did occasionally make infrequent appearances.
To find out more about his most recent public appearance, continue reading.
Only a year before his death, Gene Hackman was seen in public for the first time in more than two decades.
At the time of his death, the French Connection actor was 95 years old, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was 63. In addition, on February 26, 2025, their dog died in their home in New Mexico.
In an official statement following the actor’s passing, Santa Fe County stated, “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail.”
“We do not currently believe that foul play was a factor, but this is an ongoing investigation,” they shared. Nearly 21 years after his last public appearance, Hackman and his spouse were spotted out in public last year.
The couple, married since 1991, was spotted leaving Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in the photos from the sighting. With his cane in his other hand, Hackman was observed clinging to his wife’s arm. On X, you can view a few of the photos that have been shared.
In Los Angeles, where she worked part-time at a fitness center, Hackman met his wife, Arakawa. In 1984, the two started dating.
In 1986, Hackman got a divorce from his first wife, Faye Maltese. She had been his wife since 1956. Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean, and Christopher Allen were their three children born during their marriage.
Due to health issues, the actor, who is well-known for his parts in films like Behind Enemy Lines and Mississippi Burning, mainly stopped performing in 2004.
“A stress test I took in New York was actually the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the actor revealed in a 2009 interview.
The actor had stated, “The doctor told me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
From 1961 to 2004, Hackman starred in 79 feature films, making his career an enviable one for any aspiring actor. He received two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild award during his career.
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman was a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity,” said renowned director Francis Ford Coppola, who collaborated with the actor on his 1974 film The Conversation. I honor his life and contributions while grieving his passing.
