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Renowned US actor Gene Hackman, his wife — classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found lifeless in their home. Picture: Jeffrey Mayer / Getty Images
Renowned US actor Gene Hackman, his wife — classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found lifeless in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Despite the strange setting of the trio’s demise, police in the area have ruled out any foul play.
“We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths. However, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined at this time,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told Sky News this week.
Spokesperson Denise Avila said deputies responded to a request to do a welfare check on Wednesday around 1.45pm local time and found Hackman, his wife and their dog dead.
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Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain described Hackman as the finest screen actor ever, crediting Hackman’s portrayal of Blindman in the mid-70s movie Young Frankenstein.
“Ah, Gene Hackman. The finest screen actor ever, I think. Not a single duff performance in a long, long career. And the best delivery ever of a single word: when he says ‘Cigars!’ in Young Frankenstein.
“What an incredibly sad end to a remarkable life,” wrote British journalist Piers Morgan in his tribute on X.
Filmmaker Ford Coppola, who directed on of Hackman’s classic films, The Conversation, shared a post of the two on set captioning it with a heartfelt message.
“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,” wrote Coppola.
He said he would mourn Hackman’s loss and celebrate his existence and contribution.
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The 95-year-old Hackman appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage, during a lengthy career that started in the early 1960s.
His last film work was more than 20 years ago, in 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport. He then retired, although he found a new passion in writing adventure novels.
In 2004, Hackman had a sit-down with CNN’s Larry King, during which he revealed that he rarely did interviews because “I don’t like to talk about myself that much. I don’t know. It’s the same as watching myself on film; it makes me uncomfortable. I love doing the acting. I love that part of it.”
“It’s very relaxing for me,” Hackman told Empire Magazine in 2020. “I don’t picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process.”
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