RIP Gene Hackman

[Zema Bus]

Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their New Mexico home Wednesday along with their dog in circumstances officials deemed “suspicious enough” to warrant thorough investigation.

The cause of death is not yet known. The pair did not have any external trauma and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. Authorities also note there were no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak.

The couple’s bodies were found in separate rooms in their house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to police.

Hackman, 95, was an Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in films such as “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers, “Unforgiven” and “The Firm.” Arakawa, three decades Hackman’s junior, was a classical pianist.

Here is what we know about their deaths.

Hackman’s and Arakawa’s bodies were discovered by maintenance workers at the home just before 2 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office affidavit for a search warrant obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT.

In a 911 call obtained by CNN, a caller said they could not enter the home but could see two unconscious people through the window.

“No, dude, they’re not moving. Just send somebody out here really quick,” the caller said.

Police responded to the call and discovered Arakawa’s body on the ground inside a bathroom next to an orange prescription pill bottle with scattered pills on the floor, the affidavit said.

The body “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mumification in both hands and feet,” the affidavit said.

Hackman’s body was then found on the ground near the kitchen, in a similar condition. A walking cane and sunglasses lay next to the body. The deputy suspected he had suddenly fallen, the affidavit said.

A German shepherd dog was also found dead in the bathroom. The affidavit initially said the dog was in a closet, but police later clarified it was in a crate. Two other healthy dogs were found on the property.

The couple had been deceased for quite a while, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters Thursday. The maintenance workers told police they had not been in touch with the homeowners for two weeks, the affidavit said.

From cnn.com

For some reason I had thought he had already died years ago, maybe I had misunderstood a news report about him retiring. But I only find out that he hadn't been dead all those years, when he really was dead. Also when I looked up this story I was surprised to see that he was born in the same dinky little city I was born in. It's a weird case though. Him, his wife, and one of their dogs dead. It could be that he had Alzheimer's and dependent on his younger wife, then she dies first for whatever reason, leaving him in a precarious situation until he eventually had a fatal fall. And the dog was locked in a cage so it probably died of dehydration and starvation.

[Zema Bus]

The causes of their deaths have been determined. Their dog's cause of death is still under investigation:

The causes of death for Gene Hackman, who was 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who was 65, were revealed today at a press conference at Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

Dr Heather Jerrell, New Mexico’s Chief Medical Examiner, announced that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness caused by viruses that are transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents.

Her exact time of death is not known, but she was last seen on 11 February.

Gene Hackman died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. According to information gathered from his pacemaker, he likely died on 18 February.

Dr Jerrell explained: “He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s and it is quite possible he was not aware she was deceased."

The couple were found dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26 alongside one of their pet dogs, Zinna.

The cause of death for Zinna (short for Zinfandel), a kelpie mix, has not yet been determined.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Zinna has been been taken for necropsy at Veterinary Diagnostic Services, with results still awaited. He also revealed that Arakawa had collected Zinna from Gruda Veterinary Hospital on February 9.

“There was a procedure that was done with the dog, which may explain why their dog was in a crate at the residence,” added Mendoza.

According to a police search warrant, the actor, his wife and their dog were found in separate rooms and appeared to have been “dead for some time”. The couple suffered “no external trauma”, the preliminary findings of a medical investigation found.

At a press conference last Friday, Sheriff Mendoza confirmed that both Hackman and Arakawa had tested negative for carbon monoxide.

Hackman was one of the best-loved stars in Hollywood, appearing in classic films such as The French Connection,The Conversation and Superman.

He won Oscars for The French Connection and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven and stepped away from the spotlight a few years after 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

From the-independent.com.

And a little more on hantavirus:

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection, officials in New Mexico announced Friday.

Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It does not spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.

An infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening.

“It really starts like the flu: body aches, feeling poorly overall,” said Dr. Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu.”

The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region — the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.

It was an astute physician with the Indian Health Service who first noticed a pattern of deaths among young patients, said Dr. Michelle Harkins, a pulmonologist with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center who for years has been studying the disease and helping patients.

“They were healthy, they had no medical problems and they were coming in with a cardiopulmonary arrest,” she said, prompting the CDC’s involvement as experts worked to determine what the patients had in common.

The majority of U.S. cases since then have been in western states, especially the southwest. Between 1993 and 2022, there were 864 reported U.S. cases. New Mexico had the highest number over that time, at 122, followed by Colorado at 119.

There were seven cases confirmed in 2023 and another seven in 2024, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. As for deaths, the state has reported 52 between 1975 and 2023.

The CDC has offered to test samples involved in Arakawa’s case to learn more about the strain of virus that infected her and to perform pathology testing.

Symptoms start one to eight weeks after exposure and initially can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, according to the CDC. As the disease progresses, symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid. About a third of people who develop respiratory symptoms from the disease can die, the CDC says.

Despite years of research, Harkins said many questions have yet to be answered, including why it can be mild for some people and very severe for others and how antibodies are developed. She and other researchers have been following patients over long periods of time in hopes of finding a treatment.

“A lot of mysteries,” she said, noting that what researchers do know is that mouse exposure is a key.

The best way to avoid the germ is to minimize contact with rodents and their droppings. Use protective gloves and a bleach solution for cleaning up rodent droppings. Public health experts caution against sweeping or vacuuming which can cause virus to get into the air.

From the Associated Press

[Grogan]

It's sad... elderly people living alone, when one gets sick there's nobody to care for the other. I would imagine the dog died of neglect.

Hantavirus is one of those hemorrhagic viruses that destroys cells I think (like Ebola but not as severe). I think there are different variants.

I loved Gene Hackman as an actor.