Gene Hackman's Friends Dispute Daughter's Claim Actor Was in 'Good Health' and Say He Was 'Homebound' — After Hollywood Star's Lifeless Body Is Found Inside Mansion Following Puzzling Death
Gene Hackman's health status during his final months has been disputed.
March 3 2025, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Gene Hackman's health was faltering according to close friends who saw the legendary actor before he was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog.
The latest claims is the complete opposite of what Hackman's daughter Leslie said, as she revealed her famous dad was actually in "good health" the last time she saw him, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Hackman's health was 'really slipping' according to his friends.
Close family friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan and their son, Aaron, opened up on the late actor, and how exactly he was doing the few times he would decide to venture outside his residence.
According to Daniel, Hackman was “essentially kind of home-bound," as the couple told People the Hollywood star's health "was really slipping there.”
Aaron, however, praised Hackman's wife, claiming Arakawa "tried to keep him kind of active and engaged... "
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside their mansion.
This comes just days after Hackman's daughter Leslie claimed the star was actually doing pretty well before he and Arakawa were found "mummified" in their Santa Fe home.
She told Daily Mail: "Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition. He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.”
Like Hackman's friends, Leslie also made sure to credit her stepmom for keeping the Unforgiven actor "alive" for years.
Leslie revealed: "They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive. Betsy took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. So, I am appreciative to her for that, and I'm very saddened by her passing."
Hackman shared Leslie, daughter Elizabeth, and son Christopher with his first wife, Faye Maltese.
While Leslie claimed her dad was in good health, she also previously admitted she hadn't spoken to him in quite some time.
The actor's daughter Leslie (L) previously claimed her father was in 'good health.'
"We were close. I hadn't talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good," she said after she was spotted with sister Elizabeth having breakfast in California.
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa were found deceased in separate rooms on Wednesday, February 26, inside of their mansion.
Arakawa 63, was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet, while Hackman also exhibited the same signs of decomposition as his wife of 34 years.
One of their three dogs, a German Shepherd, was found dead in the closet while the other two were unharmed
It took authorities on the scene 12 hours to identify Hackman and Arakawa due to their condition.
The sheriff said toxicology tests could take months but revealed the initial examination by the medical examiner, Dr. Michael Baden, showed no sign of carbon monoxide was found.
During the examination, Hackman's pacemaker showed it stopped working on February 17, revealing he may have have died nine days earlier.
Retired chief medical examiner Dr. Philip Keen said the moment when a pacemaker stops working could dictate a time of death, but not always.
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A cause of death may take months.
He explained: "f your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point – and it might be the hallmark of when the death occurred.
"But it's not necessarily because some people get a pacemaker to augment things, not necessarily replace things."
Hackman was honored on Sunday night during the Oscars' In Memoriam segment — while late stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Shannen Doherty were not mentioned.
