The sudden death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, has left many unanswered questions. While authorities have ruled out foul play, a forensic pathologist has suggested a possible explanation for their tragic passing.

The entertainment world is mourning the loss of the iconic actor and his wife, a classical pianist, who, along with one of their dogs, were found deceased in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26, 2025. Hackman was 95, and Arakawa was 65.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that there were no immediate indications of foul play but did not provide a cause of death or specify when the couple might have died. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain mysterious. Hackman, who had lived in Santa Fe since the 1980s, married Arakawa in 1991. The couple maintained a private life in their secluded home. Before their bodies were discovered, deputies had arrived at their residence on Old Sunset Trail in response to an unspecified report, though it remains unclear whether it was a welfare check or a call for assistance.

Authorities found the couple’s lifeless bodies during the visit. Investigators pieced together a timeline and determined that Hackman’s pacemaker had stopped functioning on February 17, leading them to believe that he may have been dead for nine days before being found. Sheriff Mendoza told reporters that it was a reasonable assumption that February 17 was the last day of Hackman’s life.