Gene Hackman’s Health In Question Before Tragic Deaths, Say Close Friends

Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home last week, and close friends of the couple are now revealing concerns about Hackman’s declining health in the months leading up to their passing.

Daniel and Barbara Lenihan, who said they had known the couple for over 30 years, claim that Gene Hackman had become increasingly “homebound.”

Barbara Lenihan noted that she first became aware of Hackman’s declining health when he “quit riding his bike through the neighborhood” about a year ago. “He was really slipping there,” she told PEOPLE.

Her son, Aaron Lenihan, shared that Arakawa was doing everything she could to keep Hackman “as active and engaged and healthy as possible.”

The Lenihans described Arakawa as “in perfect health” and “so fit,” explaining that she was “very protective of him in terms of COVID,” often wearing a mask when out in public.

Another friend, Doug Lanham, told TMZ that Arakawa had maintained a “strict diet” for Hackman, who reportedly enjoyed activities like Pilates and yoga, according to his daughter, Leslie Hackman.

Leslie, one of Hackman’s three children, described her father as being “in very good physical condition” but also hinted at possible mental health concerns, telling Us Weekly that his “memory was fading.”

Adding to these concerns, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed that Hackman wore a pacemaker that tracked his “last event” on February 17, nine days before his body was discovered.

Details surrounding Arakawa’s health remain limited, but a housekeeper for Arakawa’s 91-year-old mother suggested that Betsy had become distant, not calling her mother since October, a significant change from her usual monthly check-ins.

Photographer Mark Kreusch, who had documented Hackman’s later years in Santa Fe, described the actor’s life as “happy” and centered around simple pleasures. “I think that he loved Santa Fe,” Kreusch told PEOPLE.

He recalled that one of Hackman’s favorite activities was taking long drives through the remote landscapes of New Mexico. “He would go on these long drives, like he just was clearing his mind,” Kreusch said. “He did it kind of often.”

Police found Arakawa’s body on the bathroom floor, surrounded by scattered pills. Sheriff Mendoza stated that while HIPAA laws prevent the release of specific medication details, the drugs found are considered “important evidence” in the investigation.

Additional medications found in the home included Tylenol, a thyroid medication, and Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure or chest pain, according to CNN.

Gene Hackman was found in a separate room near the kitchen, with sunglasses nearby, suggesting he may have fallen. Preliminary autopsy results showed no signs of external trauma and ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning, a theory initially considered by family members.

"There's no indication that anybody was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it's very hard to determine if they both passed at the same time or how close they passed together," Mendoza said, per the New York Post.

Authorities believe the couple may have been deceased for “several days” or “a couple of weeks” before being discovered. While no signs of foul play or forced entry were found, one door was slightly ajar.

Two dogs were roaming safely in the house, while a third dog was discovered dead inside a crate or kennel. A pathologist theorized the dog may have died from dehydration.

"I just can't process what took place," Doug Lanham, a longtime friend of Gene Hackman, told Daily Mail. "We'd all kind of expected it, he's 95, and in some of the pictures towards the end there he was looking frail. But to read and hear what took place, I still have a hard time understanding. Because they were so dignified and so in love with each other."

The official causes of death for Hackman and Arakawa remain pending until autopsy and toxicology results are released, which police expect within a few weeks.