US actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa suffered “no external trauma”, preliminary findings from a medical investigation found.
The Oscar-winning film star (95) and his wife (65) were found dead, along with one of their dogs, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, and police said there were no apparent signs of foul play.
A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said: “In the early hours of Thursday, February 27th, 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI).
“An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual.”
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The official results of the postmortem and toxicology reports are pending and the manner and cause of death have not yet been determined, according to the sheriff’s office.
Two other dogs were found alive at the property, one inside and one outside.
Santa Fe county sheriff Adan Mendoza told a press conference the pair had been “deceased for quite a while” but would leave further ruling to the OMI.
The alarm had been raised by a maintenance person, doing pest control at the property, who was concerned because he had not seen the couple, police said.
New Mexico Gas Company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to a search warrant, and while no signs of problems were found, a detective noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide may not show signs of poisoning.
Carbon monoxide and other toxicology test results are pending.
While there was no “immediate” evidence of foul play, detectives confirmed the investigation was in its “preliminary” stages.
“There was no indication of a struggle,” Mr Mendoza told the media.
“There was no indication of anything that was missing from the home or disturbed that would be an indication that there was a crime that had occurred.”
In a 911 call, a maintenance worker said he was unable to get inside the house when asked if the people inside were breathing.
“I have no idea,” he said. “I am not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I can see she’s laying down on the floor from the window.”
Hackman’s body was found in a mud room, and his wife was found next to a space heater in a bathroom, detectives said in the warrant.
Hackman’s daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter Annie, said they will miss the actor “sorely” and are “devastated by the loss”.
A statement to the PA news agency said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy.
“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. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Tributes have poured in from celebrities and influential figures across the globe.
[ Gene Hackman: Ageless, everyman actor who never gave a bad performanceOpens in new window ]
In a post on X, The Shawshank Redemption actor Morgan Freeman said “bringing the French Film Garde a Vue (Under Suspicion) to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman” was “one of the personal highlights of my career”.
American film-maker Francis Ford Coppola hailed Hackman as a “great actor” who was “inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity”.
Coppola wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation, which starred Hackman as a surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects the couple he is spying on will be murdered.
Elsewhere singer Sting said the world had “lost a legend” while actor and director Clint Eastwood said Hackman would be “deeply missed”.
The actor received two Oscars, two Baftas, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award in an acting career spanning six decades.
He secured the best actor Oscar and Bafta for his role as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1971 thriller The French Connection.
Hackman landed a further Academy Award and Bafta in the best supporting actor category for his part in 1992 western Unforgiven, directed by Eastwood.
Born in California in 1930, Hackman left home at 16 to enlist in the marines and served from 1947 to 1952 as a field radio operator and then as a broadcast journalist.
He went on to study journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, but later decided to pursue an acting career.
Hackman had a few TV and theatre roles before breaking through with his performance in 1967’s Bonnie And Clyde, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles, and landed him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
He also picked up Oscar nods for his role in 1970’s I Never Sang For My Father and 1988 thriller Mississippi Burning.
The actor secured a new cohort of fans for his portrayal of supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film starring Christopher Reeve.
He reprised the role for its sequels, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Hackman acted opposite many Hollywood heavyweights, including Al Pacino in 1973’s Scarecrow, Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein (1974) and Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in Reds (1981).
Other notable roles included hit movies The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Conversation (1974) and Runaway Jury (2003).
He had a comedic turn as a conservative senator in 1996’s The Birdcage alongside Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, who starred as a gay couple.
Hackman also featured in Wes Anderson’s star-studded The Royal Tenenbaums, and Welcome To Mooseport in 2004 was his last big screen appearance.
The actor found his feet on the stage in the early days of his career in the 1960s and performed in several Broadway theatres.
Hackman and his wife, a classical pianist, married in 1991. – PA
