Jean Seberg's "Lilith" co-star Gene Hackman dies along with wife in their home
Two-time Oscar winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead Wednesday afternoon, February 27th in their home outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The deaths are under investigation, as they were were found to be "suspicious enough in nature" , a search warrant filed in New Mexico said.
"This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office," the statement added. Hackman and Arakawa had been dead for some time and their bodies were found by deputies in different rooms of the house. Hackman was found in a mudroom and Arakawa was found in a bathroom.
"He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa," Hackman's daughters Elizabeth, Annie and Leslie Hackman said in the statement. "We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."
Hackman's breakout role was in Robert Rossen's "Lilith" starring Jean Seberg and Warren Beatty. Hackman went on to play complicated figures in "Bonnie and Clyde," "The French Connection," "The Conversation," "Mississippi Burning" and "Unforgiven," among many others. He was hailed as one of the best actors of the era before retiring from the screen in 2004.
Update: Gene Hackman's official date of death was February 18th. The main cause of his death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease. Betsy Arakawa died of hantavirus days before Gene. The couple had been married 33 years.
Learn more about actress Jean Seberg in the the Emmy® Award-winning documentary "Jean Seberg: Actress, Activist, Icon" now available on Blu-ray from RMR Features. Over ten years in the making, the film was produced by award-winning filmmakers Garry McGee (McMarr Ltd.), and Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle (Fourth Wall Films).
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