Gene Hackman’s Wife Betsy Arakawa Died Of Hantavirus Days Before His Passing, Authorities Reveal

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s causes of death have been revealed. Authorities in Santa Fe, N.M., confirmed in a press conference on March 7 that the Oscar winner passed away from heart disease with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor about a week after Betsy passed away from complications of hantavirus. New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, explained that pills previously found near Betsy’s body were thyroid medication and did not contribute to her death. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that Betsy, 65, was last seen alive in surveillance video from a local pharmacy on Feb. 11. Jarrell explained that Hackman, 95, likely passed away on Feb. 18, the date of his pacemaker’s last recorded activity. The couple was discovered deceased along with one of their three dogs on their Santa Fe property on Feb. 26.