Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's causes of death confirmed by New Mexico medical investigator

The confirmed causes of death come one week after the pair were found deceased at their Santa Fe home with their dog and authorities believe that Arakawa had died seven days prior to her husband, with Dr Heather Jarrell of the New Mexico Medical Investigator's Office telling a news conference that it was "reasonable to conclude" that Hackman had died on Tuesday 18th February.

As a result of post-mortem investigations carried out following their deaths, it was found that Arakawa was believed to have contractred HPS, a rare respiratory illness that is transmitted through contact with rodent droppings, urine or saliva.

Dr Jarrell stated that there were no signs of trauma and her death was a result of natural causes, but did emphasise that cases of HPS are extremely rare.

She said that 136 cases had been reported in the state of New Mexico over the past 50 years, with 42 per cent resulting in fatalities. Investigators are still trying to determine how Arakawa contracted the illness, with Arakawa currently being the only person confirmed to have contracted HPS in the state in 2025.

Hackman had "significant heart disease, and ultimately that's what resulted in his death", Dr Jarrell concluded, adding that the actor also had chronic high blood pressure.

Dr Jarrell stated that because of Hackman's advanced Alzheimer's, it is "quite possible that he was not aware that she [his wife] was deceased".

Although Hackman hadn't shown any signs of dehydration, Dr Jarrell confirmed that he had not eaten anything recently. Hackman also tested negative for HPS, with the illness being transmitted through the inhalation of contaminated dust and not from person to person.

At the time of the discovery of their bodies, one of the couple's three dogs was also found dead in its crate but its cause of death is yet to be determined. Arakawa had collected the dog from the vet on 9th February after it had undergone a procedure, with Santa Fe County sheriff Adan Mendoza saying that the procedure in question "may explain why [the dog] was in a crate at the residence" while the other two dogs weren't in crates.

Hackman enjoyed a successful film career, securing two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was known for his roles in 1978's Superman film and its subsequent 1980 sequel Superman II, as well as The French Connection and Mississippi Burning.

Arakawa was a classical pianist, with the couple having married in 1991. Hackman had three children, Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese, who died in 2017.