Gene Hackman‘s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman, and granddaughter, Annie, have commented on the “devastating” loss of the legendary actor.
Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on Wednesday (February 26), alongside one of their pet dogs. A cause of death is not known at this time, and, according to TMZ, the Santa Fe police are treating the deaths as “suspicious.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie shared in a statement to People. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Hackman shared three children with his first wife, Faye Maltese: Christopher Allen Hackman (63), Elizabeth (61), and Leslie (57). He married Arakawa in 1991.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Leslie described her dad as being in “very good physical condition” and speculated that he and Arakawa may have died from a carbon monoxide leak.
“There was no indication that there was any problem [with his health],” she told the outlet. “He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.”
Despite The French Connection star’s good health, Leslie said his death was “not terribly shocking because he was 95.”
Leslie added that she hadn’t talked to her dad and stepmom “for a couple of months” because she lives hundreds of miles away in California. However, she shared, “We were close… I hadn’t talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good.”
Speaking of Hackman and Arakawa’s relationship, Leslie said, “They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive. She took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. So I am appreciative to her for that, and I’m very saddened by her passing.”
Leslie noted that she and the family will be heading to New Mexico, explaining, “We need to wait and find out whatever information from the police We weren’t expecting to have to go out there and go through the house and all that. So we have some work cut out for us. But yeah, we’ll be going out to New Mexico.”
According to an affidavit from an officer requesting a search warrant, obtained by People, the body of Arakawa was described as showing “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet.”
Mummification is where dead tissue, including skin and organs, dries out and becomes hard and shrunken, usually due to dehydration. This can happen in hot and dry climates.
Authorities have stated that the deaths are “an active and ongoing investigation.”