The Oscar-winning actor’s will was released after he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died within days of each other
The fate of Gene Hackman’s $80 million fortune remains uncertain as his three children were not named as beneficiaries in the actor’s will.
Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were tragically found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home in late February, sparking an intense investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding their passing.
Earlier this month, Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator for New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator, revealed a chilling detail—Arakawa was likely the first to pass, succumbing around February 11 to a rare and deadly illness known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Gene Hackman, the legendary Oscar-winning actor, is believed to have passed away about a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, due to “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor.”
Dr. Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical investigator, revealed that Hackman was in a fragile state. “Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease. He was in very poor health, with significant heart disease, and ultimately, that is what led to his passing,” she explained.
Following his death, Hackman’s will has come to light, revealing that he left his entire estate to Arakawa. The document, originally drafted in 1995 and last updated in 2005, named her as the sole beneficiary of his fortune.
Before his marriage to Arakawa, Hackman had three children with his first wife, Faye Maltese—Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58. With Arakawa’s unexpected passing preceding his own, questions now arise regarding the future of Hackman’s estate.
With both Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa now gone, the fate of Hackman’s fortune remains in limbo. Legal experts suggest that his estate could ultimately end up in the hands of his children—if they can prove that Arakawa passed away first, thereby rendering his will invalid.
California attorney Tre Lovell explained to BBC News that “the estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws, and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit”—provided there are no other named beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, trust and family law attorney David A. Esquibias weighed in on the complexity of contesting Hackman’s will. Speaking to People, he noted that since the actor’s will was last updated in 2005, challenges to its validity would be far more difficult than if it had been altered in recent years. “Contesting a 20-year-old document is exponentially harder than contesting a deathbed-signed document,” he explained.
Interestingly, Arakawa’s own will complicates matters further. She had designated Hackman as her sole beneficiary, but also included a contingency plan: If she and Hackman died within 90 days of each other, her estate would bypass direct heirs, instead being placed in a trust and eventually donated to charity.
Now, as legal teams and Hackman’s surviving family navigate these intricacies, the final fate of the legendary actor’s estate remains an open question.
