‘We will miss him sorely’: Gene Hackman’s family ‘devastated’ by actor’s passing

Gene Hackman’s family has released a formal statement about the tragic passing of the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.

The French Connection star, 95, Arakawa, 65, and their pet dog were found dead in their Santa Fe home Wednesday night.

Hackman’s two daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, along with his granddaughter, Annie, put out a statement about the actor’s death.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” they said in a statement, per The New York Post.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” the statement continued. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

Elizabeth and Leslie are two of Hackman’s three children, whom he shared with his first wife, Faye Maltese. The Superman actor was married to Maltese, who died in 2017, from 1956 to 1986. He later married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza initially said that foul play was not suspected, although a search warrant affidavit has since ruled their deaths “suspicious” enough to require further investigation.

The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were found by a pair of maintenance workers.

Arakawa was found in a bathroom with an open pill bottle and medication scattered nearby. Police also found a space heater near her head, leading a deputy to write in the search warrant that it may have fallen if she had suddenly hit the floor.

Hackman was discovered on the ground near the kitchen’s mudroom, while the dead dog, a German Shepherd, was 10-15 feet from Arakawa, in a closet in the bathroom. Two healthy dogs were found alive on the property, according to police.

A warrant obtained by Variety and TMZ stated that Arakawa’s body “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet.”

Hackman’s body was found in “similar and consistent” condition.

Elizabeth had originally speculated that their deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning; however, testing and observation of the house’s systems from the Santa Fe Fire Department and New Mexico Gas Company did not reveal immediate signs of a leak.

Police have said there’s no immediately clear cause of death, and that they have not discovered any kind of note or final statement.

“At this stage in the process there isn’t anything obvious like that,” Sheriff Mendoza told The New York Times. “The autopsy is going to tell us more.”