Gene Hackman’s will has surfaced following his death, revealing that his entire estate was left to his wife, Betsy Arakawa, with no mention of his three children from his first marriage. However, legal uncertainty remains due to the timing of the couple’s deaths.
Authorities discovered Hackman and Arakawa in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26, concluding that Arakawa had died from a virus on February 11. Hackman, who had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, reportedly survived for about a week longer before dying of heart disease. Since Arakawa predeceased him, legal experts suggest this could nullify his will.
California attorney Tre Lovell told the BBC that Hackman’s estate may be handled under intestate succession laws. “The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws, and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit,” Lovell explained. Hackman’s children would need to establish that the will was invalid due to the sequence of deaths.
Arakawa’s own will directed that her assets would go into a trust and then to charity if she outlived her husband. The legal interpretation of these wills may impact how Hackman’s $80 million estate is ultimately distributed.
Further details about the household emerged as reports confirmed that one of the couple’s three dogs, Zinna, was found dead inside a crate in a bathroom closet. A report from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture ruled out disease, trauma, or poisoning, instead citing dehydration and starvation as the likely cause. The two surviving dogs have been placed in care.
Investigators continue to piece together the final days of the couple. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is reviewing cell phone records and recent contacts to confirm a timeline. “The case is considered active until we have that information to tie up the timeline,” said spokesperson Denise Womack Avila.
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Hackman, known for a career spanning decades, won two Academy Awards, first for The French Connection (1971) and later for Unforgiven (1992). He and Arakawa lived a private life in Santa Fe, avoiding the Hollywood spotlight. A representative for the estate has requested that autopsy reports and related investigative materials remain private, with a state judge set to review the request.
