Oscar-winning US actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead inside their home in New Mexico, media outlets reported on February 27, 2025. Above is a file photo of actor Gene Hackman holding the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards 19 January 2003 in Beverly Hills, California. | AFP PHOTO
WASHINGTON, United States — Oscar-winning US actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead inside their home in New Mexico, media outlets reported on Thursday.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the couple were found dead on Wednesday afternoon, adding that there was no immediate indication of foul play, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Variety and Sky News.
READ:
Gene Hackman, intense, ‘uncommon’ everyman actor
Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy,’ ‘Gossip Girl’ actor, dies at 39
Barbie Hsu, Taiwanese actress and ‘Meteor Garden’ lead star, dies at 48
Mendoza did not provide a cause of death.
The media reports said the couple died along with their dog.
Hackman, who was 95, was once voted as likely to flop in showbiz but instead went on to win two Oscar awards.
He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the tough and vulgar New York cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection” — for which he won an Oscar for best actor.
Arakawa was a 63-year-old classical pianist.
