https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/03...1398924759.jpg

[Starving and confused. Dogs going mad... not even knowing
his wife was dead: Awful way a Hollywood great died]


[But Gene Hackman's lonely end in the mud room
of his Santa Fe mansion - a week after the death
of his wife in the bathroom from a rat-borne virus - was as
far away from the spotlight as possible.

Police confirmed Friday that Hackman, 95, died from
cardiovascular disease around February 18 - days
after Betsy Arakawa, 65, succumbed to Hantavirus
Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in their bathroom
around February 11.]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...inal-days.html

Yes,
tragic his family
could have popped in to feed him.


But they did not like them.

…I think that they were quite reclusive as well and that family relationships were quite complex and layered… it’s one of those incredibly sad things that shouldn’t have happened but it did …there was obviously no type of care put into place on any level for a couple whose health issues required some kind of care plan …

it's a sad end to a long life

…yes, very sad…and it feels as though they isolated from most aspects of life apart from each other and their dogs…the dog that died had recently had a procedure at the vets so they catered for the health and well-being of their animals but not their own…?…no care plan for two isolated people who both had serious health issues…


…Betsy Arakawa’s disease contracted through rodent droppings so a possible indication of living in very poor conditions …l

That's where his family should have stepped in and insisted on getting them help.

…knowing nothing of any of their life in terms of relationships of friends/family etc , I honestly don’t know, Vanessa…stepping in isn’t always an option but I don’t know if that applies, either…there seems to have been a breakdown in all aspects of their relationships with others and it’s all very sad…

such a sad ending, he must have been so confused, and his wife must have died so suddenly so tragic

The dog must have starved to death. :(

Poor thing.

The thought of Gene just rattling around in that house “alone” all that time too, probably not really knowing where he is/what’s going on. Heartbreaking. Such a tragic end.

All the Dirty Rats fault

Should have had Boxed traps to kill them

How awful

Of course the younger Wife
was looking after him.


But forget the Rats


If only she put down Boxed traps
that kill the rat

Yes, he used to be a big, strong man, physically and mentally.

Getting really old sucks. :(

That's what we did for our dad. We got him some help at home. He didn't want it of course, but in the end he appreciated it.

Apparently there was no trace of a rat infestation in the house itself. But there was in the other buildings of the property.

Sure all buildings
could have had Rat Catching boxes.

She was Growing Plants
great, but Rats run a poo every place

But she
never thought of Rats poo
all over her places.


This is why you must get a Rat Box
to keep all humans safe

He made it to 95
because of his Heathly Food from his wife

Yes not everyone makes it that far. And he was in good health until he got Alzheimer's.

Yes maybe she caught it gardening. Her hands in close contact with rat droppings

Yes all Preventable

Boxes placed outside.
most people buy them

True. But still an ungracious way to go. :( For both of them, and the dog.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/03...1440660930.jpg

[Hackman's children not named in actor's $80m will]

[The will of legendary actor Gene Hackman
has been released, but uncertainty lingers over
his $80m (£62m) fortune.

The two-time Academy Award winner left
his entire estate to his wife of 30 years,
Betsy Arakawa. But Arakawa, 65, was found dead
alongside her husband in their
New Mexico home last month.

Legal experts have now said that,
because authorities say Arakawa died seven days
before her husband, Hackman's children could
now potentially inherit his fortune,
despite not being named in the will.

His three children with his late ex-wife,
Faye Maltese - Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62,
and Leslie, 58 - have not commented publicly
on the matter.]



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7985ld2lrro

It's a really sad way for things to have ended and sadly also not uncommon when there's a situation with a carer/caree and no other family or outside help... If something happens to the carer like happened here, the person relying on care is helpless.

There should always be someone else checking in daily in these situations. They don't need to be involved in care... Just a daily phone call, even, and a key to go by and check if no one answers the call.

As it seems his wife died first and if all that was in the will was that everything should go to her with no secondary option then I imagine his kids will get the estate split evenly as legal next of kin, as that's what would happen if there was no will. Even if there was a "do not give to them" clause, it would likely be contested, but tbh most likely they would have been assuming that his wife would outlive him and won't have included anythibg like that, just that it should all go to her.