Gene Hackman’s family is not jumping to any conclusions about the deaths of the legendary actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, before getting all the facts.
“We’re waiting on toxicology. That will tell us everything,” Gene’s nephew Tim Hackman exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, March 3. “It’s hard to theorize. There are lots of theories out there and I don’t want to speculate. It’s easy to speculate negative theories.”
Tim explained, “The family wants to keep it positive for now and when we know the truth we will deal with it.”
Us confirmed on Thursday, February 27, that both Gene, 95, and his wife, 64, were found dead inside their residence one day prior after authorities were called for a wellness check. (The couple tied the knot in 1991 and lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for more than 30 years before their deaths.)
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The Replacements actor’s daughter Leslie Anne Allen told Us previously that carbon monoxide “was one of the things [police] thought might have happened.” (Gene is survived by his three children, Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie from his first marriage to Faye Maltese.)
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has since called the deaths “suspicious” after a search warrant revealed the detectives reportedly “found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom.”
A detective explained in an affidavit obtained by Us that there were signs that the heater was “moved” and “the pill bottle being opened, and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence.” The report noted, “No obvious signs of a gas leak.”
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A search warrant obtained by People on Friday, February 28, revealed the previously mentioned pills found by police were Tylenol, unspecified thyroid medication and diltiazem, a medication used to treat high blood pressure.
That same day, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza shed some light on their ongoing investigation. “Both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide, [and] an initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker,” he said in a press conference. “This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025. I was advised that a more thorough investigation will be completed.”
The sheriff explained, “According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption” that when Gene’s pacemaker last registered was “hist last day of life.”
Mendoza noted that Gene and Arakawa’s deaths were still under “active investigation” and it had not been determined who died first. He added that they were waiting on several tests, including a toxicology report.
Tim, whose father, Richard Hackman, was Gene’s brother and a stuntman for the Oscar winner, told Us that the description of the scene where the bodies were found has raised a lot of questions.
“My uncle was 95 years old at an age where you think about, ‘OK, it’s time,’” Tim said on Monday. “But from the circumstances now things have changed a bit. It’s a major change.”
Despite having so many unanswered questions about Gene and Arakawa’s deaths, Tim said he is holding onto his fond memories of the actor — including their last in-person interaction when Gene came to his dad’s funeral about 11 years ago.
“He was [living] in Santa Fe, New Mexico,” Tim recalled of that time. “I would call Betsy and give an update on the kids. He’d come to California just to see his family or for the weather.”
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Tim remembered that when The Royal Tenenbaums actor came around he was “like any other family member,” but at times his nephew was still starstruck.
“For me personally, it’s something I would find strange because I was a fan and a nephew. There were moments of, ‘Wow, Gene Hackman is in front of me,’” he shared.
Tim revealed that there was also another role Gene played that his fans may not have known. “He was a reconnaissance Marine radio man [and] he felt he didn’t deserve the title but he earned it,” he told Us. “He represented the Marines with pride in his own way. They say Marines lead the way and my uncle sure did and I’m very, very proud.”
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When it comes to Gene’s legacy, Tim said he was “looking forward to seeing how the Oscars would remember” his late family member, who won the prestigious award twice — for Best Actor in William Friedkin‘s thriller The French Connection (1971) and for Best Supporting Actor in Clint Eastwood‘s western Unforgiven (1992).
During the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, Gene was among the actors who were honored during the In Memoriam segment of the show. Morgan Freeman kicked off the tributes, recalling fond memories with Gene while filming 2000’s Under Suspicion.
“I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work. He received two Oscars, but more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world,” Freeman, 87, shared. “Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people will remember me as someone who tried to put in good work.’ I think we speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you’ll be remembered for that and for so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend.”
Tim tuned in for the broadcast, telling Us, “[I] thought they did a good job. I was touched by that.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
