--- title: "Cops Investigating Bizarre Circumstances of Gene Hackman’s Death" description: "The death of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has been labelled \"suspicious\" by authorities." date: "2025-02-27" modified: "2025-02-27" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/cops-investigating-gene-hackman-death" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "actors" - "hollywood" - "movies" --- # Cops Investigating Bizarre Circumstances of Gene Hackman’s Death ![The death of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has been labelled "suspicious" by authorities.]() *\Image: Hector Mata / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* The passing of actor and Hollywood icon Gene Hackman was tragic enough. But now his death, along with his wife, classical musician Betsy Arakawa, has been labelled "suspicious" by investigators, [*NBC News* reports](). On Wednesday, Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with one of the couple's dogs. While initial reports stated that foul play had been ruled out by police — which they still maintain — detectives in a recently released search warrant wrote that Hackman and Arakawa's deaths are "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation," as quoted by *NBC*. The grim discovery was made by a maintenance worker who checked inside the household after noticing that the couple's front door was left open. Investigators who arrived at the scene found Hackman's body lying in a mudroom, while Arakawa was found on a bathroom floor with a space heater near her head. The deceased dog was discovered in Arakawa's closet, while two others on the property were still alive: one in the bathroom, and another outside. A deputy noted that Hackman appeared to have suddenly fallen. In the bathroom where Arakawa was found, a bottle of pills was spilled on the countertop. It's possible that the space heater "could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground," the deputy said, per *NBC*. The fire department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, according to the warrant, which quickly emerged as theories that could explain the grisly scene. One detective notes, however, that such a cause of death can be difficult to detect, [per the *Associated Press*]()*.* Nearby gas lines were tested by New Mexico Gas Company, but no issues were found with any of the pipes. Neither body showed obvious signs of trauma, police said, stressing that it's still early into the investigation. "The autopsy is going to tell us more," Santa Fe county sheriff Adan Menda [told the *New York Times*](). Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, confirmed his retirement from acting in 2008, ending a legendary career spanning more than four decades. He boasted a singular screen presence — somewhere between a leading man and character actor, excelling at both. He brought vigor and an often buried sense of humanity to all his roles, no matter how larger than life. Deceptively versatile, his trademark wry smirk and gritty mug were equally suited for dogged bastards, moody messes, and sneering villains. No one can forget the palpable desperation he brought to his now genre-defining performance as tough-as-nails cop Popeye in "[The French Connection]()*"* (1971). Hackman was also effortless in comedic roles, like in what was his veritable swan song as a blundering head of a family in "[The Royal Tenenbaums]()" (2001). Fellow industry legend and New Hollywood trailblazer Francis Ford Coppola grieved Hackman's passing. "The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman, a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity," Coppola, who directed Hackman in the Palme d'Or winning film "The Conversation" (1974), [wrote on Instagram](). "I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution." **More on Hollywood:** *[NASA Posts Touching Tribute to the Late David Lynch]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()