Overview

• The New Mexico medical examiner concluded Gene Hackman, 95, died of severe cardiovascular disease, compounded by chronic hypertension and advanced Alzheimer’s.
• Toxicology reports indicated Hackman experienced prolonged fasting, which likely worsened his already fragile health condition.
• Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, died a week earlier from a hantavirus infection, a disease linked to rodent exposure and endemic to the region.
• Investigators determined Hackman’s death occurred on February 18, based on pacemaker data, while Arakawa likely passed on February 12.
• The couple’s isolated living conditions, including a disoriented Hackman after Arakawa’s death, were highlighted as contributing factors in their tragic timeline.