A gas company is assisting the investigation into the death of US actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, amid reports suggesting the pair died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Oscar-winning film star Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, had been dead for some time, according to investigators, when their bodies were discovered along with their dog on Wednesday afternoon at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Hackman’s body was found in a mud room, and his wife was found next to a space heater in a bathroom, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives said in a search warrant.
Police said they do not believe that foul play was a factor at this time and Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, added there was no indication that any of them had been shot or had other types of wounds.
New Mexico Gas Company is working with the sheriff’s department in the investigation, spokesperson Tim Korte told the Associated Press.
The company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant, and while no signs of problems were found, a detective noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide may not show signs of poisoning.
Tributes have poured in from celebrities and influential figures across the globe, including the Prince of Wales, who said he was “so sad to hear the news”.
“Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality,” he said in a post signed with a W on his shared X account with the Princess of Wales.
American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola hailed Hackman as a “great actor” who was “inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity”.
Coppola wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation, which starred Hackman as a surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects the couple he is spying on will be murdered.
Alongside a photo of them working on the film, Coppola wrote in an Instagram post: “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity.
“I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Hackman received two Oscars, two Baftas, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award in an acting career spanning six decades.
Bafta was among those paying tribute, describing Hackman as a “much-celebrated actor” who had an “illustrious career”.
He secured the best actor Oscar and Bafta for his role as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1971 thriller The French Connection.
Hackman landed a further Academy Award and Bafta in the best supporting actor category for his part in 1992 western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood.
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Born in California in 1930, Hackman left home at 16 to enlist in the marines and served from 1947 to 1952 as a field radio operator and then as a broadcast journalist.
He went on to study journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, but later decided to pursue an acting career.
Hackman had a few TV and theatre roles before breaking through with his performance in 1967’s Bonnie And Clyde, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles, and landed him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
He also picked up Oscar nods for his role in 1970’s I Never Sang For My Father and 1988 thriller Mississippi Burning.
The actor secured a new cohort of fans for his portrayal of supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film starring Christopher Reeve.
He reprised the role for its sequels, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
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Valerie Perrine, who portrayed his on-screen love interest Eve Teschmacher in the Superman films, described the late actor as a “genius” and “one of the greatest to grace the silver screen”.
She added: “I had the honour of working with him on Superman. His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed.”
Perrine signed off writing: “Goodbye my sweet Lex Till we meet again. Valerie.”
Hackman acted opposite many Hollywood heavyweights, including Al Pacino in 1973’s Scarecrow, Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein (1974) and Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in Reds (1981).
Other notable roles included hit movies The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Conversation (1974) and Runaway Jury (2003).
He had a comedic turn as a conservative senator in 1996’s The Birdcage alongside Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, who star as a gay couple.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa at the 65th Academy Awards (Alamy/PA)
Hackman also featured in Wes Anderson’s star-studded The Royal Tenenbaums, and Welcome To Mooseport in 2004 was his last big screen appearance.
The actor found his feet on the stage in the early days of his career in the 1960s and performed in several Broadway theatres including at the Music Box Theatre for the comedy Any Wednesday.
He also appeared in Children From Their Games at the former Morosco Theatre, Poor Richard at the Helen Hayes Theatre and The Natural Look at the Longacre Theatre, before returning in 1992 to perform Death And The Maiden at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
A police statement shared with the PA news agency said: “On February 26 2025 at approximately 1.45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa and a dog were found deceased.
“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time – however, exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”
Hackman and his wife, a classical pianist, got married in 1991.