The news of Gene Hackman’s death has rocked the entertainment world, and fans are still reeling. The iconic actor and his beloved wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in the house they shared in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The circumstances of their deaths were confusing, and foul play was suspected, but the reality of their passing is simply sad.
Related
Bill Murray Says Luke Wilson Is The Real Reason Gene Hackman Was So Awful On The Set Of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’
Gene Hackman’s on-set behavior was highly controversial, and now Bill Murray is alleging that Luke Wilson played a role in all of it.
Husband and wife were struggling with illness, each oblivious to it in their own way, and no one realized things were wrong until it was too late.
Gene Hackman And His Wife Betsy Died A Week Apart From Each Other
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their house by members of their staff, who alerted the authorities. After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that there was no foul play involved, just a very unfortunate chain of events.
Gene’s health was very fragile by the time of his passing. He was struggling with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, severe heart disease, and high blood pressure, and his wife Betsy was his main caretaker. Sadly, apparently unbeknownst to both of them, she had Hantavirus, and she collapsed in their bathroom.
Related
John Travolta Opens Up About Working With Bruce Willis As The Actor Battles With Dementia
John Travolta talked about his friendship with Bruce Willis and how much they enjoyed working on Pulp Fiction.
It is speculated that Gene spent a week in the house with his dead wife, likely unable to call for help due to his illness. One of their dogs, Zinna, also died in its crate in the house.
How Their Dogs Helped Solve The Mystery
One of the first signs of alarm that something had happened to the couple was raised when Betsy didn’t show up at Gruda Veterinary Hospital to pick up the prescription dog food and medication for Zinna and their other dogs, Bear and Nikita.
Betsy was a dedicated caretaker, both to her ailing husband and to their pets, so when she failed to show up at the hospital, the owner, Robert Gruda, knew immediately that something was wrong. She had never missed an appointment. They called her to remind her, but of course, no one picked up.
“She was devoted to those dogs,” he explains.
“She was consistent, predictable. We knew something was wrong when she didn’t pick up the food on time.”
Once the paramedics and the Santa Fe Fire Department showed up at Gene and Betsy’s house, the survivors, Bear and Nikita, were a huge help. The paramedics located Betsy’s body quickly but couldn’t find Gene anywhere, as he had collapsed from heart failure in the mudroom. It was the pets that kept barking and running off to the mudroom that helped them find the actor’s body.
“They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!'” Fire Chief Brian Moya explained to USA Today.
Related
Fans React To Update About Bruce Willis On His Birthday Amid Heartbreaking Dementia Diagnosis
Bruce Willis’s family shares a glimpse into their lives with heartfelt messages celebrating the actor’s 69th birthday amid his dementia diagnosis.
The circumstances in which Gene and Betsy died are devastating, and as Emma Hemming, Bruce Willis’s wife, said, it should be a learning experience that caretakers need care, too.
“I think that there’s this common misconception that like caregivers, they got it figured out,” Emma shared in an Instagram video reflecting on the tragedy. “They got it covered. They’re good. I don’t subscribe to that. I think that we need to be showing up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.”
Emma herself is caring for Bruce, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023.
Our thoughts go out to Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s friends and family during this difficult time.
