He won his two Oscars and other honors for playing the indefatigable yet tough guy NYC narcotics detective Popeye Doyle (The French Connection) and the bloodthirsty sheriff Little Bill in the Old West (Unforgiven) but that only scratched the surface of a four-decade career. Actor Gene Hackman’s range of roles included: Wyatt Earp’s father (Wyatt Earp), a rigid religious father (The Birdcage) and a Reverend (Poseidon Adventure), a corrupt lawyer in the (The Firm), a corrupt jury consultant (Runaway Jury), Clyde’s criminal brother (Bonnie and Clyde), an inspirational basketball coach (Hoosiers), a FBI agent (Mississippi Burning), a murderous politician (No Way Out), Superman’s nemesis (three Superman films), a kooky absent patriarch (Royal Tenenbaums) among other memorable roles.
However, the mysterious death of Gene Hackman, who was found dead at age 95 in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, may be the story many people will remember about him the longest. It was not a huge surprise given his age, his noted cardiovascular problems and his advanced Alzheimer’s disease that Hackman had passed. What was unusual was the almost inexplicable simultaneous death of his wife of more than 30 years, Betsy Arakawa (age 65) from the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) which is typically survivable if treated immediately. Giving the mystery an even stranger twist was the same timeframe death of one of their beloved dogs who was found 10 feet near Arakawa’s body. The coroner believed Arakawa died one week prior to Hackman, who because of his advanced Alzheimer’s, did not realize his wife was dead and simply forgot to feed the dog (and possibly forgot to feed himself and to stay hydrated creating the cardiac event that was listed as his cause of death with underlying complications of Alzheimer’s).
And there is the true tragedy of this celebrity caregiving story.
Silence and Social Isolation Is Deadly for Caregivers
It has been reported that Hackman did not want his Alzheimer’s diagnosis to be made public and as the disease progressed, the couple stopped communicating with family and friends and socially isolated themselves inside their 12-acre private compound in Santa Fe. Neither Hackman’s three adult children, nor Arakawa’s friends, heard from them or were involved in their daily lives. The couple cocooned together in their home shutting off most of the outside world.
This approach to caregiving, and to giving in to the stigma of certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, poses risks to both the person receiving care and the caregiver.
Numerous studies show that the strain of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease with its memory-robbing nature, the profound emotional stress caring for someone who may become agitated, aggressive and physically abusive and caring for someone whose ultimate progressive decline into not being able to communicate or perform activities of daily living (ADLs) is why many dementia caregivers have worsening health.
One study1 found Alzheimer’s family caregivers – currently 11 million family members caring for 7 million adults with Alzheimer’s – had 25% more stress hormones, 15% less antibodies to help the body’s immune system fight colds, flus and other invaders, and 2-3 times the depression felt by other caregivers.
LESSON LEARNED: By not having much social interaction with those outside of Hackman, Arakawa was probably combatting her own physical and emotional health issues. This unrelenting 24/7 caregiving may have lowered her body’s immunity to fight the HPS and to reach out to others who may have helped her survive her health ordeal and thus, may have meant Hackman might still be alive today as well.
The Hackman-Arakawa caregiving story is a cautionary tale. Caregivers cannot take on the burden of caregiving with a break, without self-care, without help. As seen in this tragic story, not getting that balance of caring for her loved one and caring for herself may have cost Arakawa her life. For other caregivers it is a red flag that caregiving can be deadly.
Photo: Arakawa and Hackman at the 2003 Golden Globes Awards.
Social Isolation Was a Problem But So Was the Legal Paperwork
While the unknowns of whether a family caregiver will outlive their loved one is a lesson learned from the Hackman story, another is the lack of understanding the need for updated legal documents.
Hackman’s will was 20 years old, made years before his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and even before much of his heart disease problems. His will – as with most couples who are three decades apart in age – indicated Arawaka as his sole heir (Hackman was not close to his adult children and did not include them in his will as beneficiaries although according to the BBC News, court filings show the children as his heirs).
Arakawa had named Hackman as her beneficiary in their Gene Hackman Living Trust, but if he was already passed, then the $80 million estate is held in a charitable trust, “to achieve purposes beneficial to the community, consistent with the charitable preferences and interests expressed or indicated by my spouse and me during our lives.”
However, neither Hackman nor Arakawa really thought he would outlive her and thus, felt their older wills would hold. And, while Hackman had named a successor trustee if his wife died first, it was his lawyer in 2005 who passed away in 2019. So, the lawyer’s representative, another counselor at his law firm, is currently calling the shots. Only time will tell if the adult children lodge a claim against the estate.
LESSON LEARNED: Revisit wills whenever a major life event has happened to ensure it still holds under constantly changing probate laws in the state where you now reside.
When Hackman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, that was the time to revisit the wills and trusts, especially if something did happen to Arakawa, to ensure the care for Hackman would be handled and financed. That would all be spelled out in a revised will and Arakawa could have also sought conservatorship. This is how comedian and late night talk show host, Jay Leno, recently handled it for his wife Mavis, who was diagnosed with dementia.
This allows the well spouse or partner to manage their loved one’s finances and personal affairs, as well as structure estate plans for his/her care should he/she die before him/her and to have the court’s declaration that the person with Alzheimer’s is no longer capable of making those life decisions.
Photo: (top) Hackman and Arakawa in 2000, Hackman with his three children in the 1970s.
Regardless of your caregiving journey, the need to find that balance for self-care, to embrace your social health and social convoy (also known as circles of care) and to ensure your financial health (and legal documentation that impacts financial health) is well-planned are some of the key steps in making the journey one of joy.
References
1 Vitaliano, P. P., Zhang, J., & Scanlan, J. M. (2003). Is caregiving hazardous to one’s physical
health? A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 129(6), 946.
©2025 Sherri Snelling
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