1 week Ago By Julianna Salinas, Daniel Bird, Katie Francis
Two months after his death, the official cause of death for renowned Royal Tenenbaums and The French Connection actor Gene Hackman has been disclosed. The celebrated star passed away at 95 years old in his opulent Santa Fe mansion and was discovered on February 26 alongside his significantly younger spouse Betsy Arakawa, aged 65. A housekeeper raised the alarm upon glimpsing a woman motionless on the floor through the window of their grand residence .
Investigators concluded that Betsy perished approximately one week prior to her husband. Given Gene's advanced Alzheimer's disease, it is possible he was unaware of his wife's passing . Official records reveal: "Autopsy showed severe atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with placement of coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement.
" The report elaborates: "Remote myocardial infarctions were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum, which were significantly large. Examination of the brain showed microscopic findings of advanced stage Alzheimer's disease" Notably, the medical examiner observed that Gene had contended with "history of congestive heart failure" and had earlier undergone the insertion of a "bi-ventricular pacemaker" in April 2019. Additionally, it was noted that his acetone levels stood at 5.
3 mg/dl—significantly higher than the normal ceiling of 0.3 mg/dL, reports Fox News. The toxicology report indicated that acetone is "also a product of diabetic and fasting-induced ketoacidosis as well as a metabolite following isopropanol ingestion," suggesting Gene may have been fasting for an extended period reports the Mirror .
Further examinations revealed normal carbon monoxide levels, dispelling the actor's family's initial suspicion of a gas leak causing his and Betsy's deaths. The medical examiner also ruled out the possibility that Gene succumbed to the same illness that took his wife; hantavirus was identified as the cause of Betsy's demise. Betsy had previously been determined to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted through rodent droppings and urine.
Gene and Betsy resided in a self-designed abode in Santa Fe, which is now believed to have contributed to Betsy's untimely passing due to its condition. A week after finding their bodies, the New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted a thorough inspection of the estate, uncovering a distressing scene. The once Architectural Digest-featured mansion was overrun with rodents and disarray, with insiders who visited the property recounting it as a "mess.
"The inside of the house was shocking," they said. "They didn't have a housekeeper or a maid, so it had beautiful things - furniture and paintings - but there was dog poop on the floor. The inside of the house was bad.
Nothing had been dusted. There was nothing in the fridge." However, despite the tragic circumstances of their last days together, discoveries within the house paint a picture of a devoted, loving couple up until the end.
Love notes were found in the mansion, with the couple having been communicating back and forth with touching handwritten messages. Gene and Betsy got married in 1991, and the actor movingly signed off his notes to his wife with: "Love, G." Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports, and entertainment stories.
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