Gene Hackman’s Wife, Betsy Arakawa, Died at Least a Day Later Than Originally Believed

Nearly three weeks after Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26, new details surrounding their final days have emerged.

Both ABC News and The New York Times report that officials now think Arakawa died at least a day later than they originally believed. After an initial investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths, New Mexico officials determined that Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare infectious disease resulting from a virus primarily spread via rodents, likely on February 11—the last day she was seen in public. Based on the last activity from his pacemaker, Hackman, 95, likely died a week later, with the cause being cardiovascular disease (Alzheimer’s was also noted as a contributing factor).

Officials now say Arakawa was alive on February 12, as she called concierge medical service Cloudberry Health early that day. Arakawa placed three calls to Cloudberry that morning, Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza told ABC News. “Each time that she called, she individually spoke to a representative,” said Mendoza. “That would indicate to me that she was seeking medical advice or medical help, and may have not been feeling well or had been showing signs or feeling symptoms of hantavirus.” (Vanity Fair has also reached out to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office for comment.)

The Daily Mail reportedly spoke to a Cloudberry physician who confirmed that Arakawa, who was not a prior patient of the clinic, called the office on February 12 and showed no signs of breathing issues.

According to the doctor, Arakawa had inquired a few weeks earlier about an appointment for Hackman to have a heart scan and had also made an appointment for herself, “unrelated to anything respiratory” and set to take place on February 12, the doctor said. She then canceled her appointment on February 10—citing a need to care for her husband, who was “not well.” On the day of her originally scheduled appointment, Arakawa reportedly called Cloudberry in the morning and was told to “come in that afternoon.” Cloudberry called Arakawa “a couple of times” after she didn’t show up to the doctor’s office, but never got any response, according to the physician.

Any changes to the timeline of Hackman’s and Arakawa’s deaths could impact the actor’s $80 million estate, which he reportedly left to his wife. In her will, Arakawa left her assets to Hackman, but specified that if she and Hackman died within 90 days of each other, her estate would go to charity. “If Betsy passes away first, and then Gene, his will, in a sense, would become void because the individual he wanted his items to be passed to no longer exists in the eyes of the law,” said ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire. “His estate and everything he left in his will would go to probate court, where individuals can argue that they should receive the benefits of Gene Hackman’s will.” Hackman’s three children from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese—Christopher, 65; Elizabeth, 62; and Leslie, 58—were not named in the will, but appear to be his most direct living heirs.

A New Mexico judge granted a request from the late couple’s estate on Monday, temporarily sealing police photos and video footage from the investigation; Hackman’s and Arakawa’s medical records were temporarily sealed as well. “During their lifetime, the Hackmans placed significant value on their privacy and took affirmative, vigilant steps to safeguard their privacy,” read a petition obtained by People. According to Deadline, a March 31 hearing has been scheduled, which will see the sheriff’s and medical investigator’s offices argue why any sealed images and information should not be permanently inaccessible.