EXCLUSIVE: The Reason Gene Hackman's 3 Children Are Set to Get EVERYTHING From His $80Million Estate — Despite Signs He Wanted Them Left With Nothing
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa have been laid to rest at a private ceremony.
March 27 2025, Published 12:23 p.m. ET
Gene Hackman’s three children are set to scoop the entirely of his $80million fortune — despite signs the late actor planned to leave them with nothing.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Hackman's estate was set to be inherited by his late wife, Betsy Arakawa, whose name is listed on the actor's three properties, rather than his offspring, which sparked theories he wanted to cut them out of his will.
Hackman's daughter's Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman, plus son Christopher, are now in line to pocket their father's $80million fortune.
In Arakawa's will, she wished for her fortune to be given to charity, but due to the couple dying around the same time, Hackman's three adult children, Christopher, Leslie and Elizabeth are now poised to land the windfall, according to legal expert and powerhouse attorney Goldie Schon.
She said: "For unforeseen reasons, these two people passed similarly in time, but oddly enough, she passed before him, and as a result, we have a situation where now, even though his desires were for his estate to go to her in its entirety without even providing it to his adult children, Betsy did pass before him.
"And what does that do? Now we're in a situation where his will and trust say that everything goes to her, but she died first.
"But now what it is, is actually fairly simple. It's going to be a fight, of course, but it's simple because it's as if Gene Hackman passed without a will."
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead inside their $3.3million Santa Fe compound last month.
As the legal expert explained, the actor's estate goes into what is called intestate — it's as if he had no will at all.
Shon added: "Let's just simplify it. It is as if he did not say who it's going to go to, and when that happens, we have other rules in place that tell us who it's going to go to, and the first people that it goes to are your next of kin, which would be his children."
Schon said she was not surprised to learn that Hackman's son had recently found an attorney to represent him in the fight over his father's estate.
"It is not odd or strange that one of his children, or all three of his children, for that matter, will find an attorney and counsel to obtain a portion of his estate.
"Because, quite frankly, that's the way it should be if there was nothing between the children and Gene Hackman."
Hackman amassed his huge fortune courtesy of starring roles in blockbuster movies including Superman.
The expert added that since there wasn't anything in the French Connection star's will that expressly cut out his children, there is even more of an argument that they should inherit his estate.
"Gene Hackman wasn't intentionally saying in his will or trust, 'I do not want my children to get any of my estate.'
"If that were said, we would be in a different situation, but that was not said.
"This is just a man who had been with his wife for decades and loved his wife and understood that his wife was younger than him, and wanted to give his estate to her, to allow her to live her life in however she deemed appropriate."
Hackman named Arakawa as the sole beneficiary of his estate in 1995, four years after they tied the knot.
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Schon continued: "The fact that he did not ex-communicate his children from his estate planning tells me that there was not a problem.
"At this point, it's not strange that the children want to share and obtain their father's estate.
"I think everybody should be good with that. We should find some solace that his estate will be passed down through his own family."
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home last month.
The actor's passing was attributed to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease listed as a significant contributing factor.
Arakawa's death, on the other hand, was caused by a respiratory illness associated with hantavirus, a rare infection spread by rodents.
