Gene Hackman and wife found dead: heart disease and hantavirus among causes

95-year-old actor Gene Hackman died of heart complications and Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus. The police investigation continues

Actor Gene Hackman, 95, died of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office of Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus, a rare rodent-borne infection that can cause a lethal pulmonary syndrome.

The couple’s bodies were found in their home on 26 February, but police suspect the deaths occurred several days earlier. Arakawa reportedly died on 11 February, while Hackman died about a week later, on 18 February. Investigations are still ongoing to clarify the circumstances of the late discovery of the bodies.

The hantavirus, associated with wild rodents, has a mortality rate of 38% and causes flu-like symptoms, but can rapidly evolve into a severe pulmonary syndrome.

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