After Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead Feb. 26, authorities are providing more insight into what they found in the couple’s home.
More information is coming to light about Gene Hackman’s death.
After the Hollywood titan was found dead in his New Mexico home alongside his wife of more than 30 years Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs on Feb. 26, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza told TMZ that the couple’s two other dogs survived.
Previously, in a statement to NBC News, authorities confirmed “foul play is not suspected as a factor” in the couple’s passing, “however exact cause of death has not been determined.” The statement noted an investigation is “active and ongoing” in the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
No other details have been shared about their deaths at this time. E! News has reached out to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office for comment but has not yet heard back.
Following the news that Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, had passed, tributes began pouring in, paying homage to Hackman’s more than 60-year career.
Francis Ford Coppola—who directed Hackman in the 1974 film The Conversation—mourned the loss of his peer.
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration,” he captioned a photo with Hackman on Instagram Feb. 27. “Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Star Trek’s George Takei also paid tribute to the “giant” that was Hackman, noting he “could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it.”
He continued on X, “He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.”
Indeed, it was that “everyman” quality that made Hackman such a prolific actor—and not something he would deny. After all, while in conversation with The New York Times in 1989 Hackman described himself as “your everyday mine worker.”
It was also a quality the Royal Tenenbaums star—whose illustrious career boasted two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globes and a SAG Award—tried to maintain throughout his years onscreen.
“If you look at yourself as a star you’ve already lost something in the portrayal of any human being,” Hackman explained. “I need to keep myself on the edge and keep as pure as possible. You need something to bring you down to a sense of who you are and who you’re portraying. You need to remember you’re not a movie star and that you shouldn’t be too happy.”
As he noted, “You should never take anything for granted.”
For a look back at Hackman’s life, keep reading.
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Source: www.eonline.com