Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead alongside their dog at their New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza released a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican, via The Guardian, confirming the deaths: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday.”
The sheriff’s office also stated that “an active and ongoing investigation” into their deaths is underway. Hackman was 95 years old, and his wife was 63.
The actor retired in 2004 and mentioned that health issues were one of the reasons he decided to step away from his career. With the news of their deaths, learn more about Hackman’s health over the years below.
In 1990, at the age of 60, Hackman underwent an angioplasty, according to a report by the United Press International. Hackman had been experiencing chest pains that radiated down one of his arms while vacationing in Oregon. Doctors later revealed that he was only hours away from having a heart attack.
“We got him just in the nick of time,” Dr. Herbert Semler told UPI. “Fortunately for him, it was in a very excellent area that we could easily reach with a balloon catheter and dilate it.” Semler also noted that the narrowing of the artery, which caused the pain, was part of the natural aging process.
In 2004, Hackman made his final film appearance in Welcome to Mooseport alongside Ray Romano. In a 2008 interview, he confirmed his retirement to Reuters, but in a 2009 interview with Empire, he revealed that health issues played a significant role in his decision.
