Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman shared one thing he and wife of almost 34 years, Betsy Arakawa, enjoyed doing together before tragically being found dead together.
The bodies of the 95-year-old and his classical pianist partner were discovered at their home in the Santa Fe Summit community northeast of the city, in New Mexico, yesterday evening (26 February), with officials stating there is no indication of foul play.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the deaths of Hackman, the 63-year-old and their pet dog during a statement yesterday.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” he said.
Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa pose for a portrait in 1986 in Los Angeles, California (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
Mendoza did not comment on the cause of death or when the couple might have died.
The two-time Academy Awards-winning actor retired from acting in 2004, with more than 100 acting roles under his belt, and subsequently vacated Los Angeles with Betsy and moved to New Mexico.
The pair lived a private life, with Hackman rarely agreeing to be interviewed – underlined by his retirement announcement four years later.
Hackman and Betsy at the 61st Annual Academy Awards in 1989 (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
At the time he told Reuters: “I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer. I really don’t want to do it any longer.
“I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
In 2009, Hackman was asked how retirement was going during an interview with Empire, and revealed touching intimate details about his and Betsy’s life together.
“We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” the Hollywood veteran said, as he explained they regularly watch DVDs that Betsy rents.
Betsy and husband Hackman pictured back in 1996 (Jan Jarecki/Penske Media via Getty Images)
With the publication writing how Hackman shared that on Friday nights the pair enjoy a Comedy Channel marathon, the highlight of which tends to be performances by Eddie Izzard – who the pensioner applauded for her ‘amazing’ ‘speed of thought’.
Hackman and Betsy started dating in the mid-80s and before getting married in 1991, but clarified that he did not abandon his first wife Faye Maltese for her.
He said: “By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman. We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.
A lip reader has revealed what ‘Ethan Slater said to Ariana Grande’ during a rare public appearance together at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The annual SAG Awards took place on Sunday (February 23), and like any good award show, it was full mayhem and dramas.
Jane Fonda savagely ‘called out Donald Trump’ during her Life Achievement Award speech, while Slater and Grande made a rare public appearance.
Nicola Hickling, from Lip Reader, told the Daily Mail that Slater became concerned for the Wicked star after the crowd began to ‘push’ them while they were in the audience for the SAG Awards.
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater made a rare public appearance (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Slater then apparently told Grande to stay a close distance to him during the rather tense moment played out in the public eye.
A viral clip then showed the pair walking through the crowd, with Slater seen whispering to the singer before leading her through a crowd of people.
“Stay near, this crowd next to me, they are pushing me,” the lip reader states Slater said to Grande.
UNILAD has reached out to Grande and Salter’s representatives for comment.
The celebrity couple were in attendance at the SAG awards as Grande was up for two awards at the ceremony in Los Angeles.
And fresh off the back of her starring role in Wicked, Grande’s stock in film is at an all-time high.
News of Grande and Slater’s relationship broke just days after the news of the singer’s divorce from her husband Dalton Gomez, sparking speculation that there may have been some overlap between Grande’s partners.
A lip reader has revealed what was said between the pair (Rodin Eckenroth/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Slater himself filed for divorce in the same month that his relationship with Grande came to light.
The rumors surrounding their romance prompted one of her close family friends to tell PEOPLE: “People have tried to question the timeline.”
The friend claimed that ‘Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully’.
Grande went on to say her personal life is exactly that, personal.
She made the point in her song, titled ‘Yes, And?’, which was released early last year.
In the track, Grande sings: “Your business is yours, and mine is mine. Why do you care so much whose d**k I ride?”
Elsewhere in the track, Grande says she’s ‘so done with caring’ what people think, adding: “I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life.”
