Gene Hackman and wife dead for 'some time' and found in different rooms, police say, as family suspect 'gas leak'

27 February 2025, 15:33 | Updated: 27 February 2025, 17:03

Gene Hackman had been "dead for some time" when he was found, police have said.

It comes after the actor’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman spoke to celebrity news website TMZ and revealed she believed the star and his wife may have succumbed to fumes in their Santa Fe mansion.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said they have not ruled anything out and are still investigating. No official cause of death has been released.

When police were called to the property, gas company and fire department personnel also attended the scene.

 Sheriff Mendoza confirmed just after midnight the couple had died.

Giving an update on the case, he said: "All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant."

An investigation is ongoing into their deaths but foul play is not believed to be a factor, officials said.

A welfare check was conducted at the couple's home after a concerned neighbour called the police, the sheriff's office reportedly told NBC affiliate KOB of Albuquerque.

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A police statement read: "On February 26, 2025 at approximately 1.45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased.

"Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time - however, exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office."

According to American outlet Variety, the couple's death is being treated as "suspicious" and that there are "no signs" of a gas leak at their home.

This information is not confirmed, however.

The couple had been married since 1991.

The two-time Oscar winner had turned 95 in late January. He was known for being something of a reclusive person, not starring in a film since 2004.

Some of his most famous films are The French Connection, Mississippi Burning and Get Short.

He also played Lex Luthor in Superman.

He quit acting in 2004 and moved to New Mexico.

Tributes have since poured in for Hackman, with actor and author George Takei writing on X: "We have lost one of the true giants of the screen.

"Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it.

"He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe.

"That's how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever."

American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola said Hackman was both "inspiring" and "magnificent".

Coppola produced, wrote and directed 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller The Conversation, which Gene Hackman starred in as surveillance expert Harry Caul.

In a tribute posted on Instagram, he wrote: "The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity.

"I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."

Valerie Perrine, who starred alongside Hackman in Superman (1978), described the late actor as one of the "greatest to grace the silver screen".

Perrine starred as Eve Teschmacher, the girlfriend of Hackman's character Lex Luthor, who was Superman's nemesis.

"The great Gene Hackman has passed away," she said.

"He was a genius & 1 of the greatest to grace the silver screen.

"I had the honor of working with him on Superman.

"His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed. Goodbye my sweet Lex Till we meet again. Valerie."

Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas wrote on Instagram: "A very sad day for the cinema's family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away.

"My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers. RIP."