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Gene Hackman, known for iconic roles like Wyatt Earp and Lex Luthor, has sadly passed away at 95 years old. According to The Santa Fe New Mexican, Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed their deaths, as well as the death of their dog. Their cause of death is not currently public, but Mendoza stated there was no immediate indication of foul play.
Hackman had a legendary acting career over the course of six decades after rising to fame in the ’70s; he won the BAFTA, Best Actor Oscar, and Golden Globe for his role as NYPD Detective Jimmy “Popeye Doyle” in 1971’s The French Connection. He later won those same accolades for his role as Sheriff Bill Daggett in Unforgiven, and was nominated again for Bonnie & Clyde, I Never Sang For My Father, and Mississippi Burning. Hackman was also beloved for his iteration of Lex Luthor in Superman, Superman II, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Gene Hackman was one of the most prolific Hollywood actors until his retirement in 2008. During an interview with GQ in 2011, Hackman was asked if he’d ever return to acting, to which he replied:
If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.
Hackman then narrated two documentaries: 2016’s The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima and 2017’s We, The Marines before going back into retirement. He also wrote five books between 1999 and 2013, three of which were historical fiction novels (Wake of the Perdido Star, Justice for None, and Escape from Andersonville), one of which was a love story set in the Old West (Payback at Morning Peak), and the last of which was a crime thriller (Pursuit).
Hackman and Arakawa’s family have not yet officially confirmed this news.
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican.
