Details about the late Gene Hackman’s will have been revealed, but it seems things are still up in the air.
Us Weekly can confirm that Hackman left his entire estate to late wife and successor trustee, Betsy Arakawa, whose death preceded his by one week. (Daily Mail was first to report the news on Thursday, March 13, claiming Hackman left behind an $80 million fortune.)
Documents obtain by Us confirm that the actor’s will hadn’t been updated since June 2005.
Some reports have speculated that, due to Arakawa’s death, the money could be passed on to his three children: Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58, whom he shared with late ex-wife Faye Maltese. They were not listed in the will. (The Daily Mail reported that Christopher has since hired an estate attorney.)
Medical Examiner: Gene Hackman Might Not Have Known Wife Betsy Had Died
Us Weekly confirmed on February 27 that Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, were found dead at their Santa Fe home. After nearly one week of unanswered questions about the nature of their deaths, chief medical examiner for New Mexico Dr. Heather Jarrell determined the respective causes.
“The cause of death for Mrs. Hackman is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The cause of death is natural,” Dr. Jarrell said. It’s believed that she died on the evening of February 11.
Authorities believe that Hackman died a week later, on February 18, due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.
Hackman’s estate has since reportedly filed a legal petition to keep sensitive images regarding the actor and his wife’s death investigation out of the public eye.
“A preliminary injunction is necessary to protect the estates of Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa-Hackman’s right to privacy,” the document, which was filed on March 11, read.
Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Arakawa’s Relationship Timeline
Prior to their deaths, Hackman and Arakawa “placed significant value on their privacy and took affirmative, vigilant steps to safeguard their privacy,” the document stated. Their estate is asking the same courtesy be placed on the details regarding their deaths, especially when it comes to photos and video, including body-cam footage.
Amanda Lavin, the legal director at the nonprofit New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, released a statement in the wake of the petition filed by Hackman’s estate. She argued that it could impact public accountability.
“I do think it does infringe on transparency if the court were to prohibit release of all the investigation records, including the autopsies,” she told the Associated Press. “The whole idea of those records being available is to ensure accountability in the way those investigations are done.”
