Santa Fe (New Mexico, USA), March 7 (LaPresse) – Actor Gene Hackman has died due to heart problems and showed severe signs of Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, passed away a week earlier due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Local authorities confirmed the news.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread through the droppings of infected rodents. It typically emerges in spring and summer, often due to exposure near rodent droppings in homes, sheds, or poorly ventilated areas. Authorities had already ruled out third-party involvement after the bodies were discovered on February 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning also came back negative.
Arakawa, 65, was found with an open bottle of medication and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Hackman, 95, was found in the home's entryway. Both deaths were declared to be from natural causes, according to Dr. Heather Jarrell, the medical examiner, alongside state fire and health officials during a press conference.
"Mr. Hackman showed signs of late-stage Alzheimer's," said Dr. Jarrell. "He was in very poor health. He had a severe heart condition, and I believe that ultimately caused his death."
Investigators determined that Arakawa’s last known activity was on February 11, when she visited a pharmacy, a pet store, and a farmer’s market, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. Hackman’s pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and registered an abnormal heart rhythm on February 18, the likely day of his death, Jarrell said.
"It’s possible he did not realize she had died," she added. Their bodies were discovered a little over a week later. Hackman was found in the home's entryway, and Arakawa was found in a bathroom. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
Arakawa’s prescribed thyroid pills were found nearby but were not identified as a cause of death, Jarrell said. Hantavirus is typically reported in spring and summer, often due to exposure near rodent droppings in homes, sheds, or poorly ventilated areas. This is the first confirmed case of hantavirus in New Mexico this year.
Jarrell stated that it is unclear how quickly Arakawa passed away. Investigators previously recovered personal belongings from the couple's home, including a monthly planner and two cell phones. One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead in a cage inside a bathroom storage area near Arakawa, while the other two dogs survived.