Gene Hackman found dead: Top ten developments of story so far

Legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman was found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home. The Oscar-winning star was found dead along his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, citing police. He was 95.

The office of Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed their deaths to Variety after midnight Thursday.

Gene Hackman death: Here are the top developments in the story

-Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities said Thursday. No foul play was suspected, authorities said.


-Hackman, 95, was found dead with his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog when deputies preformed a welfare check at the home around 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Avila said.

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-Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not provide a cause of death, nor did he say when the couple might have died. The authorities did not release circumstances of their deaths and said an investigation was ongoing.

-"Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office," it said.

-Mendoza told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the couple died around midnight on Thursday (27 February). The sheriff did not speculate on their cause of death. “I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone,” Mendoza said.

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-Hackman joined the Marines at 16, serving four-and-a half years in China, Japan, and Hawaii, before seeking a degree in journalism and television production at the University of Illinois.

-He abandoned those plans to pursue a serious acting career, enrolling at 27 in the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he met 19-year-old Dustin Hoffman.

-The actor was one of the best-loved stars in Hollywood, starring in classic films ranging from The French Connection and The Conversation to Superman. He received two Oscars, three Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, bestowed in 2003.

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-He won Oscars for The French Connection and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, and stepped away from the spotlight a few years after The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001.

-Hackman had lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, since the 1980s and married Arakawa, 63, in 1991. He is survived by three children, Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese.

(With inputs from agencies)