Gene Hackman and Wife's Cause of Death and Key Details Revealed

The actor died of heart disease with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor, while his wife succumbed to hantavirus; their dog Zinna's death was caused by starvation and dehydration.

• Gene Hackman, 95, died from heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor, while his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, passed away from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome approximately a week earlier.
• The couple’s dog, Zinna, an Australian kelpie, died from starvation and dehydration after being confined to a crate following surgery; two other dogs survived and were found roaming the property.
• First responders were led to Hackman’s body by one of the surviving dogs, which directed them to a mudroom after they initially failed to locate him in the house.
• Zinna’s necropsy revealed no signs of disease, trauma, or poisoning, but decomposition obscured some details; her stomach contained only hair and bile.
• Hackman and Arakawa lived a private life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for decades, and the couple’s estate is seeking to block the release of autopsy photos and investigative materials.

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