NEWSGene Hackman Admitted His 'Fear of Passing Away' Years Before Sad Death, Wanted to 'Make Sure' His Wife Was Taken Care Of
Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their home on February 27.
Gene Hackman didn't have to worry about what his wife, Betsy Arakawa, would do without him, as the couple bittersweetly died together.
In a resurfaced interview from 2009, the two-time Oscar winner opened up about his fear of death, noting a main concern was his spouse's well-being.
The Oscar winner had 'normal fears of passing away.'
"I have the normal fear of passing away," Hackman, who died at age 95 alongside his 63-year-old wife and their pet dog, told a news publication more than a decade ago. "You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age."
"I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears," he explained. "I try to take care of myself."
Gene Hackman was a two-time Oscar winner and five-time nominee.
Elsewhere in his interview, Hackman reflected on the toll Hollywood took on him prior to his official retirement in 2004.
"The straw that broke the camel's back was actually a stress test that I took in New York," he shared. "The doctor advised me that my heart wasn't in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress."
Gene Hackman was 95 years old when he died. His wife was 63.
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Acting became a major stressor for Hackman — especially in post-production.
"It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen," The French Connection actor admitted. "I think of myself, and feel like I'm quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that."
Hackman and his wife's deaths were labeled "suspicious" in a search warrant requested by a Santa Fe County detective, as OK! previously reported.
"The death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak," the document read.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa's deaths were ruled 'suspicious' by a deputy officer.
Per the report, Arakawa was found lying on her right side on the floor of the longtime lovers' bathroom. A space heater was left near her head, with an open pill bottle discovered on the counter. Medicine was scattered around the area.
The officer believes the classical pianist was dead for some time, as her body appeared to be decomposing — with her face bloated and her hands and feet at the early stages of mummifying.
Meanwhile, Hackman was found in a room off of the couple's kitchen. The Unforgiven actor appeared to fall suddenly, according to officers, as his sunglasses were located on the ground next to him.
Empire magazine interviewed Hackman in 2009.
