The causes of death for actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were announced by officials on Friday, more than a week after the couple was discovered dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home.
Hackman died of “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor,” according to Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the state’s Office of the Medical Investigator.
“Autopsy examination and a full body post mortem CT examination demonstrated no acute findings of internal or external trauma, and showed severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic High Blood Pressure,” according to Jarrell.
She believes Hackman died around February 18 and his wife died about February 11.
According to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, Hackman was most likely at home with his deceased wife for one week before passing away.
Arakawa died with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease spread by rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, according to officials.
The Centers for sickness Control and Prevention stated that the sickness “initially causes flu-like symptoms that can progress to more severe illness where people have trouble breathing.”
The 95-year-old Academy Award-winning actor and his wife, 65, were discovered dead during a welfare check on February 26, with no evident cause of death, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the search warrant, Hackman was found on the floor in the mud room, and Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom.
One of the couple’s three dogs was discovered dead in a crate approximately ten to fifteen feet from Arakawa’s body, according to officials.
