GENE’S FEARS 

Gene Hackman’s haunting comments on his ‘fear of death’ & desire to ‘take care of wife’ emerge after couple found dead

LEGENDARY actor Gene Hackman made haunting comments saying he “feared” death before he passed away in his New Mexico home aged 95.

Cops in Santa Fe revealed the star was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog in their plush $3.8 million home on Wednesday.

Gene Hackman on CNN's Larry King Live.
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Gene Hackman said he feared death in a haunting interview that has resurfacedCredit: CNN

Couple at Golden Globes awards ceremony.
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Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa at the 60th Golden GlobesCredit: Getty

Older man and woman walking together outdoors.
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The last picture of Hackman and his wife, from March 2024Credit: Splash

Man in tuxedo holding an award.
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Hackman holding an Oscar at the 65th Academy AwardsCredit: getty

Aerial view of a large house in a wooded area.
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Gene and Betsy were found dead at his $3.8million homeCredit: BackGrid

Illustration of Gene Hackman and his wife's death, showing their home, location, and map.
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Cops have said there are no signs of foul play, per the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County sheriff said.

Police have not revealed a cause of death but shared extra details about the tragic discovery.

I want to make sure my wife and family are taken care off

Gene Hackman in 2009

“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,” a police statement said.

Hackman’s poignant comments on fearing death have now resurfaced.

In a rare interview in 2009, the five-time nominated and two-time Oscars winner said: “I have the normal fear of passing away.

“You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age.

“I try to take care of myself.”

Gene Hackman, 95, and wife, 63, found dead at home 'with no foul play'

OSCARS LEGEND DEAD

Gene Hackman, 95, and wife, 63, found dead at home ‘with no foul play’

The star also revealed that he wanted his wife and family to be taken care of once he was gone.

“I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears,” he added.

Hackman underwent heart surgery after suffering problems he later said were linked to stress, saying he loved filming but described the industry itself as ‘wicked’.

He had a balloon catheter inserted to help open a narrowed artery in his heart.

Speaking in 2009 he told Empire magazine: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York.

“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”

The star also once said: “It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen.

“I think of myself, and feel like I’m quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that.”

Hackman was last seen publicly with Betsy in March 2024 at a restaurant in Santa Fe.

It comes as…

The star was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa and their pet dog at their home in Santa Fe, cops said.
Gene was last spotted with his wife in 2024 just weeks after his 94th birthday
Cops have not revealed the acting legend’s cause of death but say there are no signs of foul play
Police also said an “active investigation” has been launched into the couple’s shocking death
Tributes to Gene and Betsy pour in from fellow Hollywood actors and stars
Gene made a haunting comment on his “fear” of death
The actor’s pal revealed how he went from the least likely to succeed at school to a two-time Oscar winner
Gene had a “difficult” relationship with his kids and lost touch with his son
The police statement has been released in full
How Gene met his second wife, who he was married to for 34 years, at the gym

He appeared frail as he used a cane and grabbed onto his wife’s arm for support when walking.

The couple were on a dinner date in Santa Fe, New Mexico, heading into Pappadeaux’s restaurant.

The Hollywood legend had celebrated his 94th birthday just weeks before his last pictures were taken.

Earlier in the day, the couple were also seen visiting a local Speedway store, where Gene bought a cup of coffee and an apple pie

Hackman was married twice, tying the knot with Faye Maltese in 1956.

The couple had three children – one son and two daughters.

They were married for three decades, divorcing in 1986.

I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears

Gene Hackman

He and classical pianist Betsy had been married since 1991.

Hackman, born in California in 1930, revealed his dad left the family home when he was 13.

He revealed his dad waved at him when he was playing outside.

“It was a real adios,” he told Vanity Fair in 2004.

“It was so precise.

“Maybe that’s why I became an actor.

“I doubt I would have become so sensitive to human behavior if that hadn’t happened to me as a child—if I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean.”

Hackman served in the US Marine Corps for four years from the age of 16 before he was discharged in 1951. He missed service in the Korean War after suffering serious injured in a motorcycle accident.

Tragedy struck Hackman in 1962, when he was just starting out in the movies, when his mother Anna died in a accidental house fire started by a discarded cigarette.

He would later say the adversity he faced in his early life helped drive his stellar career.

Black and white photo of a man and woman at an event.
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Gene with Betsy at the Haymarket Theatre in London on December 31 1984Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

A man and woman sitting together.
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Gene Hackman and his wife have been found deadCredit: Getty

Older man using a cane, standing outside a restaurant.
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Hackman clutching a walking stick as seen in his last pictureCredit: Splash

Man in jeans and vest holding a coffee cup outside a store.
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He was seen holding a coffee cup and sporting a casual look in a picture taken in 2023Credit: Splash

HEARTFELT TRIBUTES

Floods of messages from fellow Hollywood stars have poured in to remember the acting legend and his special career.

American actor George Takei said Gene’s work “will live on forever”.

“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,” Takei said.

“He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was.”

The great filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with Gene in the 1974 film The Conversation, remembered him as a “great actor”.

“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,” Coppola said.

“I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”