Gene Hackman couldn't 'call for help' after wife Betsy Arakawa's death as he didn't own a mobile phone

SANTE FE, NEW MEXICO: Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their New Mexico home—weeks after they had both passed away under devastating circumstances.

Now, a close friend of the couple has revealed that the two-time Oscar winner—known for his roles in 'The French Connection' and 'Unforgiven'—had been unable to call for help when his wife died because he did not own a cell phone, the Daily Mail reported.

The details of the couple's deaths paint a grim picture. Betsy, 65, reportedly died on February 11 after contracting a rare and deadly virus from rat feces, while Hackman, 95, succumbed to heart disease a week later, with his advanced Alzheimer’s playing a “significant factor.” Their bodies were only discovered on February 26—almost two weeks after Hackman's death.

Gene Hackman was left stranded in Santa Fe home

Tom Allin, a longtime friend of the couple, told the Daily Mail that Gene Hackman was "uninterested in technology" and had never owned a phone. Thus, he was completely disconnected from the world when tragedy struck.

Another source close to the situation added, “This is so sad. Mrs Hackman died, and Gene was so far advanced with his Alzheimer’s that he was wandering around and didn’t eat. If he didn’t have a phone, he couldn’t have called for help, even if he’d wanted to.”

When their bodies were finally discovered, the scene inside their $3.8 million Santa Fe estate was disturbing. Hackman was found collapsed on the floor of one room, while Arakawa was 20 feet away in the bathroom. An autopsy revealed no food in Hackman’s stomach, suggesting that the actor had likely been too disoriented to eat after his wife’s death.

Chief Medical Investigator Dr Heather Jarrell suggested the unthinkable: "It's quite possible that Mrs Hackman died and her husband was not aware that she was deceased."

Their beloved dog Zinna was also found dead inside a crate with no food—a tragic oversight that authorities believe was also due to Hackman’s Alzheimer’s. Two other dogs in the house survived because they had been roaming free.

“Hackman was so advanced with his Alzheimer’s he didn’t realize Zinna was locked in the crate,” the source added.

Close pal says theory about Gene Hackman's death 'makes no sense'

As the news of the tragedy spread, Doug Lanham—a close friend and former business partner of Gene Hackman—struggled to comprehend how the actor had spent an entire week alone after his wife’s death.

“We all knew that he was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s. But he was still doing his writing and painting,” Lanham told the Daily Mail. “That makes no sense. It’s very strange.”

His voice shook as he tried to grasp the reality of the situation. “For me, personally, it’s even more bizarre. I just can’t comprehend it," Lanham added.

Lanham, who met Hackman in 2004 and partnered with him in the Santa Fe restaurant Jinja for over a decade, said the whole situation seemed too surreal to be true.

How did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa die?

Autopsy reports confirmed that Betsy Arakawa died of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome on February 11, a rare but lethal infection that she likely contracted from rodent droppings found in the outbuildings of their property. The virus, which is typically reported in the spring and summer, causes severe lung infections and can be fatal.

A CDC source told the Daily Mail that the couple’s main home had no signs of rodent activity, but some of the property’s outbuildings—including a garage and two casitas—had rodent droppings and other evidence.

Dr Jarrell confirmed that their deaths had been ruled “natural,” with no signs of trauma. However, authorities believe that Hackman’s Alzheimer’s may have left him completely unaware of his wife’s death, leading to a slow and tragic decline in his final days.

For fans of the Hollywood icon, the news of his death was already devastating, and the circumstances make it all the more tragic. To think that a man who had commanded the silver screen for decades, winning two Oscars, four Golden Globes, and two BAFTAs, spent his final days alone, disoriented, and starving, is painful to process.