The world now knows exactly what happened to legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife.
Hackman, an actor renowned for his roles in “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven,” was found dead alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe residence late last month.
Their bodies were found mummified in their compound, with pills scattered throughout the bathroom.
The couple’s dog was also found dead at the scene. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the discovery, stating there were no immediate signs of foul play.
The star actor’s daughter, Elizabeth Hackman, speculated to TMZ that carbon monoxide poisoning may have been to blame for their deaths.
But the true causes of their deaths are somewhat surprising, especially in Arakawa’s case.
KTLA revealed that at a media conference on Friday, a representative from the Santa Fe medical examiner’s office revealed Hackman’s cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease. Alzheimer’s disease was also a significant contributory factor.
His wife Arakawa’s cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a deadly disease spread by rodent droppings. It generally occurs in spring and summer in areas where people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds, or poorly ventilated