Gene Hackman’s close friend says he was sickened and stunned that the Hollywood star was likely at home with his wife’s corpse for a week before he died.
New Mexico officials announced Friday that Betsy Arakawa died of a rat-borne virus close shortly after February 11, while Gene is believed to have passed away on February 18 of severe heart disease.
But Doug Lanham, Hackman’s close friend and former business partner, expressed disbelief that the 95-year-old couldn’t call emergency services in the seven days after his wife fell to the ground on their bathroom floor.
‘We all knew that he was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s. But he was still doing his writing and painting,’ Lanham told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
‘That makes no sense. It’s very strange,’ he said, his voice shaking with emotion at the shocking news.
‘For me personally, it’s even more bizarre. I just can’t comprehend it.’
Lanham met Hackman around 2004 and the two became close friends, with Gene investing in his Santa Fe restaurant Jinja for over a decade.
In a horrific twist, autopsies revealed Arakawa, 65, died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome on February 11.
Gene Hackman ’s (pictured left) close friend Doug Lanham (pictured center left) says he was sickened and stunned that the Hollywood star was likely at home with his wife Betsy Arakawa’s (pictured right) corpse for a week before he died
New Mexico officials announced Friday that Betsy Arakawa died of a rat-borne virus close shortly after February 11, while Gene is believed to have passed away on February 18 of severe heart disease
Hackman, 95, died about 7 days later, around February 18, before the couple’s mummified remains were found in separate rooms of their $3.8 million Santa Fe home on February 26.
Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator for the state of New Mexico, said their deaths had both been ruled as natural, and that no signs of internal or external trauma were found.
Their dog Zinna, who was found dead near Arakawa, was picked up from a veterinary hospital on February 9 after undergoing a procedure, which may explain why it was found in a kennel, according to authorities.
When questioned by reporters, Jarrell also said that it was likely that Hackman didn’t even realize his wife had died due to his advanced Alzheimer’s.
Arakawa is said to have died first on February 11 due to her infection, which initially presents with flu like symptoms.
A CDC source told DailyMail.com that while the couple’s main home did not show any signs of rodent activity, some of the property’s outbuildings – including a garage and two casitas – had rodent droppings and other evidence of rodent activity.
Hantavirus is typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas.
While hantavirus is found throughout the world, most cases in the U.S. have been found in western states.
The house owned by actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Lanham (pictured right), Hackman’s close friend and former business partner , expressed disbelief that the 95-year-old couldn’t call emergency services in the seven days after his wife fell to the ground on their bathroom floor
The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection. Symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.
The mortality of the hantavirus strain in the south west of the United States is about 38% to 50%, and is not transmissible from person to person, Dr Jarrell added.
Jarrell said there was no reliable method to get an exact time for death, but concluded that Hackman probably died around February 18.
In a full timeline of events, officials said that Arakawa had picked up their dog Zinna from a vet hospital after the dog underwent treatment on February 9.
On February 11, they said she had an email conversation with her massage therapist before later in the afternoon going to a farmers market.
She was caught on CVS surveillance footage shortly after the market, before then going to a local pet food store.
Her car was then seen on surveillance entering the gated community at 5:15pm on February 11.
Officials said that numerous emails went unopened on February 11, and that there was no further communication from her account after that day.
Hackman and Arakawa were spotted in Santa Fe ahead of his 94th birthday
Hackman and his wife spent their final years out of the spotlight in Santa Fe, Mexico
Detectives are still waiting on retrieving her full cell phone data, but said her last known activity was February 11.
Officials also said that Zinna had been found dead inside a crate in their residence, and was likely put in it after her treatment.
Hackman was discovered lying on the ground of a mud room just off the kitchen with his sunglasses and cane nearby, indicating he may have fallen according to officials.
Jarrell said that there was no food inside Hackman, and that there was no signs of dehydration.
‘Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer´s disease,’ Jarrell said.
‘He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death.’
His wife was found lying on her side in the bathroom with a space heater next to her head.
On Friday, officials also said that prescription pills found strewn across a countertop have since been identified as those prescribed for treating a thyroid problem.
Hackman and Arakawa are seen with two unidentified dogs. One of their dogs also died in their home
In an update issued on Friday, the cause of death for the couple was revealed
Last week, Santa Fe officials said that Hackman’s last event noted on his pacemaker was recorded on February 17.
Officials had also said that there was no trace of carbon monoxide in the bodies of the couple.
Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth had earlier floated a theory that the couple had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which authorities officially quashed last week.
She told TMZ that the family believed their deaths came about after inhaling the toxic fumes.
Hackman shared three children with his first wife Faye Maltese. He and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had been married for the last three decades.
The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the finest actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for The French Connection in 1972 and Unforgiven two decades later.
Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s.
Chief Medical Investigator Heather Jarrell
They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade had decamped to Santa Fe.
A naturally private man, Hackman was labelled a recluse as he remained out of the public eye for years on end following his retirement from the movie industry. He retired from acting in 2004.
Friends occasionally shared glimpses of his post-acting life, including social media shots of fishing expeditions – while paying tribute to his silver screen triumphs. He would also occasionally be spotted pedaling around Santa Fe on a bicycle.
The couple´s stucco, Pueblo-revival style home sits on a hill in a gated community at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Santa Fe is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels far from Hollywood´s social circuit.
He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O´Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and his wife were investors in local businesses.
In an interview with Empire in 2020, he said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented.
Hackman said: ‘We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.
Hackman and Arakawa were married for over 30 years before their tragic deaths
Hackman starred in the 2001 Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums and was pictured at the premiere
‘Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing.’
Previously, Lanham had spoken to DailyMail.com about how he and a select handful of others ‘were lucky to know’, and who he playfully dubbed Captain Hollywood.
‘He was very private, but once the trust was there this door opened and it was magical,’ Lanham said shortly after Hackman’s death.
‘I was sitting there talking with Gene about growing up. His early days were not good. His father got in his car, waved at Gene. Even at a young age he knew he wouldn’t see him again.
‘His mom died in a fire. He shared some things about his mom. And when I talked about my history he was with me all the way.’
‘I just can’t process what took place,’ Lanham said last week, his lip trembling, eyes welling behind his sunglasses.
‘We’d all kind of expected it, he’s 95, and in some of the pictures towards the end there he was looking frail.
‘But to read and hear what took place, I still have a hard time understanding. Because they were so dignified and so in love with each other.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza
Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were earlier found dead
‘My buddy sent me the picture of Gene with the news of his passing. It was 3am on Thursday. I started reading about the whole thing and I lost it. I’m kind of a mess sometimes.
‘I went up to the airport here, flew around in my plane, did a bunch of low-level, high-speed s*** in the mountains back here, just trying to get all this gunk out of my brain.’
Lanham said he couldn’t fathom any deliberate action involved in their deaths, due to their love of their three dogs, one of which was found dead near Betsy’s body.
He added that neither had ever mentioned suicide in his presence – though he had not seen them since before the Covid-19 pandemic, during which Hackman became increasingly reclusive.
‘If you knew the love they had for those doggies, they were a huge part of their life,’ he said.
‘Betsy drove a Land Cruiser. Coming down the highway, all you’d see would be four ears of these huge German Shepherds, and beautiful Betsy behind the wheel.
‘When my favorite dog Louie passed away, they came in the restaurant to say they were sorry, and sent a really nice card. People don’t do that. It shows who they are.’
He recounted how their friendship blossomed from their first dinner around 2004, when he invited Betsy and Gene to cook with them at Jinja.
‘Like an idiot, I go, we’re going to be cooking tomorrow, y’all want to join us?’ Lanham said.
The next day the ‘gorgeous, stunning and dignified’ Betsy showed up with a gruff Hackman in tow, lugging a cooler of ingredients.
‘He really got loosened up and we just had a ball.’
Lanham said he soon grew to love Hackman’s mischievous personality and frequent, elaborate pranks.
He told DailyMail.com that Gene and Betsy were the life of the party, fondly recounting how the Birdcage actor led drunken guests dancing at Lanham’s wedding.
Lanham said Betsy strictly policed photographers snapping Hackman even at small, private events, and kept him on a regimented healthy diet – against which he sometimes rebelled.
‘He always ate healthy with her. But then we’d go out and play golf, I’d look over and he’d have this f***ing honey bun that was a foot long. It was huge,’ said the ex-business partner.
‘I asked, “Is that the first time you got that?” He said “No, and don’t you tell her either.”
‘They were so close. Betsy was his protector. He shared with me several times, if it wasn’t for Betsy he’d be broke or dead.’
