Final autopsy reports have been released for Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The reports obtained by Deadline confirm the main cause of death for Hackman was severe heart disease and advanced Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor. The report also revealed he had a low concentration of acetone in his system that indicates he hadn’t eaten for several days prior to his death. He tested negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
The report noted that the 95-year-old actor showed severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, that he had experienced congestive heart failure, had an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019. His pacemaker showed an abnormal heart rhythm on February 17, the day he likely died, according to New Mexico’s chief medical examiner.
The report also noted Hackman’s carbon monoxide concentration was less than 5%, which is within the normal range.
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The report for Arakawa also confirmed she died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings, and that her lungs were fillled with fluid. The report also revealed a mild hardening of the vessels that supplied blood to her heart and body.
Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and her body showed no signs of trauma, according to the report. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
Investigators revealed previously that Arakawa had searched online for symptoms of Covid, flu, dizziness and nosebleed. Police had previously said Arakawa made several calls to a health clinic on February 12 for medical treatment, which she never received.
Hackman tested negative for the hantavirus, according to the autopsy report.
Married since 1991 and notoriously private, Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, as well as that of their deceased dog, were first discovered by maintenance workers on the afternoon of February 26.
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