The Last Days of Gene Hackman

The investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa raise the troubling likelihood that the 95-year-old actor lived for a week in their Santa Fe home after Arakawa, 65, died suddenly. Because an autopsy revealed he had advanced Alzheimer's, authorities say it's possible he was unaware of his wife's death or unable to comprehend it, reports the Los Angeles Times. Related coverage of Hackman's final days, as well as his final years:

• Hackman does not appear to have communicated with anyone in the days after Arakawa died, reports CNN. And a medical exam revealed no food in his stomach, meaning he hadn't eaten recently. Hackman eventually succumbed himself, with heart disease listed as the cause of death. Arakawa had died earlier of a rare viral infection.

• Prior to the jarring deaths, friends described a loving relationship in which Arakawa had increasingly assumed the role of primary caregiver. "Last time we saw them, they were alive and well," friend Daniel Lenihan tells CNN. "Probably never seen a couple that got along and enjoyed each other so much." However, they appear to have grown more reclusive since the pandemic—perhaps as Hackman's Alzheimer's advanced.
• "She was very protective of him," friend Tom Allin tells the New York Times of Arakawa, a classical pianist. She made sure he ate well and even diluted his wine with soda water. In years past, when he was getting out more, Arakawa was the one who organized social outings with his buddies such as golf—an arrangement Hackman enjoyed, he adds. The actor frequently credited Arakawa for extending his life because of his longstanding heart issues.
• The Times recounts a telling slip two years ago: Hackman for decades always made dinner for his wife on her birthday. When he was 93, however, he forgot all about the tradition, says Allin.
• It's not clear if Arakawa had been ailing before her death, but authorities know she ran errands on her final day, including a trip to the grocery store and a CVS, and she also emailed her massage therapist, per CBS News. She was back home about 5pm on Feb. 11, and appears to have died soon after. "At this point, there's no indication that there was a caretaker at the home," said Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County.
• Tellingly, Arakawa did not pick up prescription dog food and medicine she had ordered for one of their three dogs, per USA Today. That was so unusual the animal hospital phoned days later to remind her they were ready, but the call wasn't answered. "She was devoted to those dogs," says the owner of the hospital. One of their dogs recently had a medical procedure, and that dog was found dead, still crated as per the vet's instructions.
• Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is spread through infection by rodents, including the common deer mouse in New Mexico. The BBC has a more in-depth explainer.

(More Gene Hackman stories.)