What Police Found Inside Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Home Will Break Your Heart
Gene Hackman at a book signing in Albuquerque 2008. Photo by Bill Chodubski. Public domain.
Gene Hackman spent decades charming audiences on screen — but in his private life, he was just as devoted to those he loved. Now, new documents reveal heartbreaking details from the final months Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa spent together inside their secluded New Mexico home.
A Quiet Life Together
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead inside their Santa Fe home in late February 2025. After retiring from Hollywood in 2004, Hackman lived a mostly private life with Arakawa, whom he had been married to for 33 years. Friends described their bond as close and loving, a sentiment reflected in the handwritten notes now recovered by investigators.
Authorities discovered the couple's bodies in different rooms of their cluttered home, with Hackman likely passing about a week after Arakawa. Betsy, officials determined, died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare illness linked to rodent droppings. Hackman’s death was attributed to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with his advanced Alzheimer’s disease noted as a contributing factor.
What's New: Notes, Searches, and A Home in Disarray
In newly released police files, investigators revealed that Gene Hackman had left a series of tender love notes for his wife. In one, he thanked her for helping prepare her own birthday dinner, signing off, "Love you and the guys, G." In another playful note, Hackman joked about forgetting where he was going for an errand, signing, "Love, what's his name." Arakawa, too, left notes for Hackman, keeping him updated about errands and outings, and even leaving jigsaw puzzles for him to enjoy while she was out, according to Page Six.
Documents also show that Arakawa had been actively searching online for breathing techniques, flu symptoms, and medical services in the days before her death. On February 11, she emailed a massage therapist saying Hackman had woken up with cold-like symptoms, but a COVID test was negative. Tragically, she would pass away the next day, likely unaware of the severity of her own illness.
Photos released by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office painted a sadder picture of the couple's final days. Their once-private retreat had become dangerously cluttered, with rodent feces found in garages and sheds on the property. Shockingly, some groceries were left moldy on counters, and one of the couple's three dogs was found deceased from dehydration.
Though the inside of the home showed no signs of a break-in and Hackman's art collection remained untouched, the overall disarray suggested declining health and mobility in their final months.
A Tragic Ending for a Hollywood Icon
Gene Hackman's passing marks the end of an era for fans who admired his rugged charisma and emotional depth on screen. But the new evidence from inside his home tells a quieter, more heartbreaking story—a story of love, devotion, illness, and isolation.
The couple was remembered in a private funeral, attended only by family and close friends, ensuring that even in death, they remained as fiercely private as they had lived.
References: Heartbreaking notes found scattered around Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s home | Disgusting condition of Gene Hackman's home sparks outrage among horrified fans | New details of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s final days released
