Inside Gene Hackman's 34-year marriage to Betsy Arakawa as acting legend is found dead with wife at home

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Gene Hackman has died, and his body was found beside the body of his longtime wife, Betsy Arakawa, inside their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, February 26.

The Hollywood star was 95, while his wife of over three decades was 63. Alongside their bodies, the body of their beloved dog was also discovered, as per the Daily Mail.

“We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail. This is an active investigation - however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor,” a statement from Santa Fe County read, as reported by Ladbible.

Who was Betsy Arakawa?

Daily Mail reported that Arakawa was a Hawaiian woman who was pursuing a career in classical music when she first met Hackman.

They met each other at a gym in California, where Arakawa was working as a part-time staff member.

They began dating in 1984 but tied the knot in 1991, only after the two-time Academy Award winner got divorced from his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1986. 

He shared three children — Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean, and Christopher Allen — with Maltese. But with his second much younger wife, he never had any children.

Gene Hackman claimed he ‘did not leave’ first wife for Betsy Arakawa

Hackman, however, always maintained that he never left his first wife for another woman.

Even talking about his character Harry Mackenzie, who chooses a barmaid over his wife in ‘Twice in a Lifetime’, he reportedly said, “By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman.”

“We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love,” ‘The French Connection’ star added.

Move to New Mexico for a quiet life

The ‘Mississippi Burning’ actor shifted to New Mexico with Arakawa a year before his second marriage. In the same year, he had an angioplasty because of congestive heart failure.

The health issue reportedly played a part in him retiring from films. 

He told Reuters in 2008, “I haven't held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I'm not going to act any longer. I've been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don't want to do it any longer.”

Hackman and Arakawa spent a quiet and happy time together at their Santa Fe mansion. They also reportedly used to have regular date nights, often watching DVDs rented by Arakawa.

In 2020, the icon told Empire, “We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.”

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa spotted in public after many years

The couple was seen in public years later in 2024 as they had dinner at Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Their last public sighting was in 2003 at the Golden Globes Awards when Hackman was honored with the Cecil B DeMille award.

The legend reportedly appeared happy during last year’s outing.

He also talked about his passion for writing novels as he said, “I like the loneliness of it, actually. It's similar in some ways to acting, but it's more private, and I feel like I have more control over what I'm trying to say and do.”

“There's always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don't know that I like it better than acting, it's just different. I find it relaxing and comforting,” Hackman added.