John Mulaney riffed on Gene Hackman’s death investigation in his latest talk-show monologue.
On the Wednesday, April 23 edition of Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney, the comedian referenced a headline-grabbing investigative report into the deaths of Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa earlier this year.
“Scientists are now like, ‘We believe dinosaurs were killed 66 million years ago by an asteroid,’” Mulaney, 42, joked on his Netflix show. “Stop. You don’t know that. We don’t even know how Gene Hackman and his wife died, and we found their whole bodies with full clothes on, one week after the event. How about that Santa Fe police? ‘Uh, hello. Press conference No. 470. We now believe that a rat bit Mrs. Hackman, turning her hands into mummy hands.’ Just slow down. You don’t know what happened.”
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead at ages 95 and 65, respectively, on February 26. Hackman’s official cause of death was hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor. Authorities believe he died on February 18 while Arakawa likely died on February 12.
Photos of Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy’s Home Reveal Rodent Infestation
Her official cause of death is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which is a rare, airborne infectious disease from rodent urine, droppings or saliva.
Earlier this month, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office released images of the couple’s New Mexico home. They revealed that the main house was messy while the outbuildings were rodent-infested. There were overflowing trash cans on the $4 million property as well as piles of clothing and other clutter when the couple died.
The New Mexico Department of Health reported dead rodents and rodent nests within three garages, two casitas and three sheds on Hackman and Arakawa’s estate.
Along with the property photos, the Sheriff’s report revealed Arakawa’s computer history, showing that she’d researched her symptoms between February 8 and February 12.
Gene Hackman’s Friend Says Actor Would’ve Died ‘Long Ago’ Without His Wife
Judge Matthew Wilson decided that while photos of Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies must be censored, photos of the scene and their dead dog Zinnia were not to be concealed.
Yoshie Feaster, Arakawa’s mother, had wanted to keep graphic photos private.
“I humbly come before this court to request that this court respect my right to grieve in peace and find that I have a constitutional right to avoid seeing images of my daughter’s home, her dead body, her husband’s dead body, and their dog’s corpse,” Feaster, 91, said in court documents obtained by People on March 31. “The public spectacle surrounding my daughter’s death is one that no parent should have to live through.”
Hackman and Arakawa were reportedly laid to rest at a private memorial in Santa Fe earlier this year.
