Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman were deeply in love with one another.
On Wednesday, February 26, the Oscar winner and his wife, a classical pianist, were discovered de.ad at their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home. Arakawa was 64 and Hackman was 95.
Deputies were called to a residence on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, where Hackman, Arakawa, and one of their three dogs were discovered de.ad, a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office spokeswoman told PEOPLE. The reasons of loss are still being looked at, and foul play is not suspected at this moment.
The New York Times claims that Arakawa was pursuing a career in classical music and worked part-time at a gym in Los Angeles when Hackman first met her. They lived together in Santa Fe by 1990, and the following year they were married. Up until his acting retirement in 2004, Hackman often took Arakawa to premieres, despite the couple’s somewhat secluded lifestyle.
In a 2020 interview with Empire, Hackman revealed details of his marriage later in life, stating that he and his wife liked to watch “DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce” and that they set aside Friday nights to watch stand-up comedy.
Take a look back at some of their memorable public moments.
Nearly ten years later, in 2003, the two walked the red carpet once again for the Golden Globes, when Hackman received the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Hackman soon retired, therefore it was the last occasion they were photographed together at an event. Nonetheless, they were seen visiting friends and eating out in their homeland of Santa Fe.
