Gene Hackman’s close friend reveals the truth behind his marriage to Betsy Arakawa
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s tragic passing rocked the world in February, and the investigation that followed left many with more questions than answers.
It has now been revealed that Gene passed away from heart disease, just days after his 65-year-old wife died of hantavirus, a rare illness spread by rodents.
The reclusive couple lived out their days together in their Santa Fe home, with Betsy working hard to care for her husband in his twilight years.
Speaking to the New York Times, Gene’s longtime friend Tom Allin revealed what their marriage was really like, painting a sweet picture of devotion and care.
He shared that the actor “seemed happy” for his wife to “run things” while she organized his medical appointments and ensured he stayed as fit and healthy as possible.
“She was very protective of him,” Tom said, adding that Gene would have passed “long ago” without Betsy’s care.
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty“She just really looked after him,” he continued, sharing that the classical pianist even made sure to dilute his wine glass with soda water during his 90th birthday party.
Gene Hackman: 5 surprising facts
© Getty Images1. Joining the Marines
At 16, Gene left home to join the Marines, just three years after his father had abandoned his family.
2. ‘Least likely to succeed’
Gene studied acting at Pasadena Theatre’s acting school, where he was classmates and friends with Dustin Hoffman. Both were dubbed “least likely to succeed” because they didn’t fit the typical young leading man stereotype. Of course, they both proved everyone wrong.
3. His big break came later
Gene Hackman’s career proves that big breaks can come later in life. At 37, he landed his first big role in the classic Bonnie and Clyde, which earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. However, it wasn’t until he was 41 that he landed his first leading role.
4. Retiring from acting
By the early 2000s, Gene had hundreds of film credits to his name but the stress of his career was taking a toll on his health. He told Empire that part of the reason for his retirement was the physical and emotional strain attendant on acting.
5. He didn’t watch his hit films
The French Connection, one of his most famous films, earned him an Oscar. However, Gene admitted in a 2021 interview with The New York Post that he only watched the film once during the initial screening. He didn’t enjoy watching himself on screen and didn’t grasp the lasting legacy of his films.
Betsy would also encourage him to see his friends and was “something of a gatekeeper” as she organized his social calendar.
Why Gene and Betsy retreated to Santa Fe
The couple first met in the ’80s when Betsy worked part-time at the gym that Gene frequented. Sparks flew between them, and they retreated to Santa Fe in 1989 to maintain their privacy.
© Getty ImagesThe pair tied the knot in 1991, five years after Gene split from his first wife, Faye Maltese, with whom he shares three children. Following his retirement from acting in 2004, they lived quietly in their gated community, raising dogs and venturing out to see friends.
“Last time we saw them, they were alive and well,” said their friend, Daniel Lenihan, whose wife, Barbara, had seen the pair shopping just weeks before their death.
“They were so delightful to be around,” she told CNN. “Probably never seen a couple that got along and enjoyed each other so much.”
© WireImageHow Betsy kept Gene fit
They added that Betsy always encouraged Gene to exercise in his old age, and “had him doing yoga and different things at home on Zoom and trying to stay very fit.”
“Betsy was a wonderful wife. They were very close, and she was a good cook and really, really took good care of him,” Daniel said.
“They ate very well. He had had a triple bypass, maybe around 60 [years old], and he’d been in really good health since then, and I’m sure she was one of those factors.”
© Getty ImagesGene had been living with heart disease and advanced Alzheimer’s, according to the autopsy report, and passed away six days after his wife.
Betsy was found in the bathroom with her thyroid medication scattered around her, while Gene had fallen in the mud room and failed to get back up again.
One of the couple’s three dogs, an Australian kelpie named Zinna, was found dead in its crate, while pups Bear and Nikita were found safe inside the home.
Source: HelloMagazine
