Speaking during a press conference today (March 7), chief medical examiner Dr Heather Jarrell confirmed the pair’s cause of deaths.

She said: “The cause of death for Mr. Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor.”

Dr Jarrell also confirmed Arakawa died of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, adding ‘the manner of death is natural’.

Hantavirus is a rare infectious disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses rapidly to a more severe disease. It can lead to life-threatening lung and heart problems.

Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa pose for a portrait in 1986 (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Speaking about Arakawa’s death, the chief medical examiner said: “Autopsy examination and full body post mortem CT demonstrated no findings of trauma internally or externally with microscopic findings consistent with Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

“Laboratory testing was positive for Hantavirus at a clinical lab with required confirmation testing positive at scientific laboratories division, testing for Covid-19, influenza and other common respiratory viruses was negative testing for carbon monoxide was negative.

“There were no other significant natural disease findings, pills present on scene, or thyroid medication which were being taken as prescribed and is not currently a concern for a contributory cause of death.”

Officials believe Arakawa passed away on February 11, while it’s thought that Hackman died a week later.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the case will remain an ‘open investigation’ until they tie up the ‘loose ends’.

Gene grips both of his Oscars alongside Clin Eastwood (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

A search warrant from police in Santa Fe previously revealed the pair had been dead for ‘some time’ and were found in different rooms. The couple’s dog was found dead in similar circumstances, police added.

Tests on Hackman’s pacemaker showed he was alive as of February 17, when a ‘last event’ was recorded, reports Daily Mail, which was nine days before their bodies were found.

The 95-year-old was found in a mudroom – a room used for dirty or wet footwear and clothing – while Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom, where there was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the countertop.

Among the ‘suspicious’ circumstances at the scene of their sprawling $3.8 million home were the fact the front door was unlocked, as discovered by two maintenance workers, and two of their three of their dogs on the premises were ‘healthy’.

A bottle of opened prescription pills was also found scattered on the countertop of the bathroom near Arakawa’s body while Hackman was found lying by a walking stick and sunglasses.

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman made a candid and heartfelt confession about death more than two decades before he and his wife were found unresponsive at their New Mexico home.

Gene, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were both found dead along with their dog at their Santa Fe home on Wednesday (February 26).

No cause of death has yet been confirmed for the couple, though a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff has confirmed that there does not appear to be any foul play involved.

“This is an active investigation,” the sheriff’s office added.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa married in 1991 (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Tributes for Gene and Betsy have been pouring in in the wake of the news, and now, an interview Gene conducted in 2004 has resurfaced due to the actor’s comments about the end of life.

Gene shared his thoughts on death in an interview with Larry King, when the interviewer asked the Unforgiven star what he ‘fears’.

“Do you worry about your health?,” King asked.

Gene then responded: “I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears.”

See a clip from the interview below:

However, he then went on to open up about death, saying: “I have the normal fear of passing away, I guess we all think about that, especially [as] you get to be a certain age.”

Gene made a candid reference to Betsy as he said he wanted his wife and family to be ‘taken care of’, adding: “Other than that I don’t have a lot of fears.”

The actor’s comments came just a few years before Gene told Reuters in 2008 that he was ‘not going to act any longer’.

Gene explained at the time he simply didn’t ‘want to do it any longer’.

Prior to his retirement, Gene firmly established himself as a Hollywood star thanks to his performances in titles like The Conversation, Superman and The French Connection, the latter of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Gene Hackman won two Oscars for his work (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

The actor married Betsy in 1991, following a previous 30-year relationship with his first wife, Faye Maltese.

Sharing the news of Gene and Betsy’s death, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said: “On 26 February, 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, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased.”

Gene has been remembered by fans as ‘one of the greatest actors of his, or anyone’s generation’.

One tribute reads: “He was a powerhouse, as adept at comedy as he was drama. Today is a very sad day, we’ve lost a legend. Gene was a giant of cinema. R.I.P Gene Hackman.”

Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in separate rooms and had been there ‘for some time’, according to a warrant.

News broke earlier today (February 27) that the acclaimed actor and his wife 63-year-old wife Betsy Arakawa had been found dead in their Sante Fe, New Mexico, home.

Hackman, best known for movies like The French Connection, Superman and Enemy State, was 95 and had long ago retired from the film industry.

As well as the celebrity couple, one of their three dogs was also found dead.

Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth has since spoken out and said that it’s believed her father, Arakawa, and their dog died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

As more information comes to light about their unexpected deaths, investigators have revealed that Hackman and Arakawa were found in separate rooms.

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

As per Associated Press, Hackman was found in a mudroom while his wife was in a bathroom next to a space heater.

In the bathroom there was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the counter top.

Such information was divulged in a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office search warrant.

In addition to this, Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, confirmed that Arakawa and Hackman had no gunshot wounds or any other type of wounds.

In regards to how long they’d been there for, it’s thought they had been deceased for some time. According to Mail Online, the couple were partially-mummified.

The investigation into their deaths remains ongoing.

The late couple wed in 1991 (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Tributes across Hollywood have been rolling in for Hackman in the wake of his death.

Star Trek actor George Takei said of the late 95-year-old: “Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was.”

American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola added: “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. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”

Elsewhere, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas wrote on Instagram: “A very sad day for… cinema’s family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away.

“My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers. RIP.”

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email info@grievewell.com.

After police ruled out any indication of a possible homicide, speculation has circled over how the pair had died – with Gene’s daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, previously speaking out suspecting carbon monoxide poisoning was to blame.

Yet initial tests carried out by the Santa Fe City Fire Department showed there were ‘no signs’ of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.

The pair are understood to have died while in the same building in separate rooms, alongside one of their three dogs – named Zinna.

Now, Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya has given a major update in the case after establishing a tragic detail regarding their deaths – that it is to his understanding that they died at similar times.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa pictured in 1994 (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

“Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe,” he told Fox News Digital on Wednesday (March 5).

He also confirmed that the last recorded activity to have taken place on Gene’s pacemaker occurred on February 17 – nine days before their bodies were discovered.

New Mexico Gas Company also confirmed that there are ‘no significant findings’ in the couple’s home related to gas leaks or carbon monoxide, reports Variety.

However, gas workers did find a ‘minuscule’ leak around a stove burner, which showed 0.33 percent gas in the air, but determined it was ‘not a lethal amount.’

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa during the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2003 (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

The gas company noted four other ‘red tag’ code enforcement violations, not involving gas or carbon monoxide, around a water heater and gas log lighters in three fireplaces.

The sheriff’s office has also mentioned that natural gas is ‘not believed to be a factor.’

As per Associated Press, Gene was found in a mudroom while his wife was in a bathroom next to a space heater. In the bathroom, an open prescription bottle was discovered, as well as pills scattered on the counter top.