EXCLUSIVE: Behind the VERY Secret Life of Gene Hackman's Pianist Wife Betsy Arakawa After She Was Found Lifeless Along with Acting Icon Husband Following Cops' Welfare Check at Their $4M Mansion
Gene Hackman's wife lived a private life alongside the legendary actor.
Feb. 27 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, kept their private lives out of the limelight, but the couple appeared to be happy during their marriage before their lifeless bodies were found at their $4million mansion.
The pair's death is being viewed as "suspicious," as they were each found in separate rooms less than a year after being seen holding on to each other tightly during a public outing, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead inside their Santa Fe mansion.
The Hollywood legend is said to have first met Arakawa – a classical pianist – when she was working part-time at a fitness Center in California in 1989. The pair tied the knot just two years later.
Besides being a pro on the piano, Arakawa – who was born in Hawaii – also co-owned a home furnishing business in Santa Fe, New Mexico. However, upon beginning her relationship with Hackman, the two went private and moved into their home together, which resided on 12 acres of land in the Santa Fe area.
"It had a kind of magic in it,” the Oscar-winning actor once said of the city he lived in with his love.
The bodies of both Hackman and his wife were said to have been 'mummified.'
While the two did not have any children together, Arakawa was seen as a stepmom to Hackman's three kids, son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne.
The movie star welcomed all three with his first wife, Faye Maltese, who he parted ways from in 1986 after 20 years of marriage.
"... We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love,” Hackman previously said of his divorce.
Following Hackman's retirement from Hollywood, he became an author, and Arakawa is said to have helped him published numerous books including Pursuit and Payback at Morning Peak.
Hackman gushed about Arakawa's help during a 2014 interview with podcast Writer's Bone: "If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs."
The retired actor became an author, with Arakawa helping him with publishing.
Hackman and Arakawa's bodies were found "mummified" at their home, two weeks since the two had last been seen.
According to a search warrant, Arakawa was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman was also found with the same signs of decomposition as his wife, a sheriff revealed. No suicide note was left at the scene.
Pills were also discovered scattered around in their bathroom as well as near Arakawa's body in the bedroom. The Unforgiven actor was in the home's mudroom, the warrant read.
The identities of both Hackman and Arakawa were not released for nearly 12 hours due to the condition of the bodies.
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The pair's dog, a German Shepherd, was also found dead in a closet, while the other two were discovered alive.
While police noted there was no "obvious signs of a gas leak," Hackman's daughter Elizabeth Jean speculated they may have died due to a carbon monoxide leak.
