The investigation into Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths is still ongoing, but the autopsies were completed weeks ago. That’s how we learned that Arakawa passed away from the hantavirus, likely on February 12. Hackman passed away on the 18th, and their remains were not discovered until Feb. 26th. Their wills were revealed several weeks ago as well – even though Hackman had three adult children and some grandkids, he left everything to Arakawa, and she left most of what she had to Hackman and to charity. Which, to be fair, is quite common for spouses to leave all or most of their estate to each other. But there are two things everyone keeps catching on: Hackman’s kids were left out of the will AND they were so uninvolved with Hackman and Arakawa, they didn’t think anything when they didn’t hear from Gene and Betsy for weeks and none of the kids raised any alert. Well, here’s another sad piece of information: Gene and Betsy’s bodies are still unclaimed.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy’s bodies are still unclaimed — more than a month after their tragic deaths, TMZ has learned.
TMZ reached out to the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, and they confirmed the list of unclaimed decedents is updated online every Monday. Gene and Betsy’s names appeared on the list on March 24, and they’re still there as of today.
Officials tell us it’s not unusual for bodies to remain unclaimed for a month after dying. It’s unclear why Gene and Betsy’s bodies remain unclaimed … but it’s possible the family is still making funeral arrangements or finalizing plans.
Gene has 3 kids — a son, Christopher, and two daughters, Leslie and Elizabeth. The sisters had spoken out in the press after the death of their dad — who left all of his Hollywood fortune to Betsy.
Hackman had spoken about his tough relationship with his kids, admitting over the years he wasn’t around much when Chris was growing up, but he did get closer to them in his later years.
Gene and Betsy’s bodies were discovered at their Santa Fe home on February 26 … one of their dogs was also found dead nearby.
I mean… this looks bad. All of it looks bad – I get that we don’t know how bad it got between Hackman and his kids and we don’t know the deepness of the estrangements. But Gene’s son Christopher hired a lawyer weeks ago to contest his father’s will and get what he can from Hackman’s estate. And none of the kids thought to, you know, claim the bodies and give Gene and Betsy a funeral? Good god.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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- THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS / The Royal Tenenbaums USA 2001 / Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson Royal Tenenbaum (GENE HACKMAN) verließ seine Frau Etheline schon, als ihre drei Kinder noch klein waren. Unter der Obhut der Mutter wuchsen die Drei zu erfolgreichen Jugendlichen heran. Chas war schon als Teenager ein erfolgreicher Immobilien-Händler, Margot gewann schon Literaturpreise bevor sie aufs Gymnasium kam und Richie gewann dreimal in Folge die amerikanischen Tennis-Meisterschaften. Doch in den Mitt-20ern haben alle persönliche Probleme und kehren nach Hause zurück. Mutter Etheline ist gerade dabei den Heiratsantrag ihres Steuerberaters in Erwägung zu ziehen, als plötzlich Royal wieder auftaucht. Er ist pleite und will sich wieder im Heim einnisten. Doch nicht nur Egoismus treibt ihn, er will die alten Bande wieder knüpfen und seine Frau und seine Kinder zurückgewinnen… Regie: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson aka. The Royal Tenenbaums / THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS USA 2001,Image: 136739311, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Nur redaktionelle Nutzung im Zusammenhang mit dem Film. Editorial usage only and only related to the movie. Im Falle anderer Verwendungen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. For other uses, please contact us., Model Release: no, Credit line: kpa Publicity/Avalon/Avalon
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- FRENCH CONNECTION- Der New Yorker Drogenfahnder Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (GENE HACKMAN) ist einem großen Drogendeal auf der Spur. Eine millionenschwere Ladung Heroin soll aus Marseille nach New York geschmuggelt werden. Bei der Übergabe des Stoffes kommt es zu einer wilden Schießerei, bei der Doyle aus Versehen einen Kollegen erschießt. Der Drogenboss Charnier aber kann entkommen… Regie: William Friedkin aka. French Connection / FRENCH CONNECTION USA 1971,Image: 136849878, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Nur redaktionelle Nutzung im Zusammenhang mit dem Film. Editorial usage only and only related to the movie. Im Falle anderer Verwendungen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. For other uses, please contact us., Model Release: no, Credit line: kpa Publicity/Avalon/Avalon
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- French Connection II (1975) Directed by John Frankenheimer,Image: 420493389, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WENN does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright, License in attached material. Fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright, License in material. By publishing this material you expressly agree to indemnify, to hold WENN, its directors, shareholders, employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), any causes of action, allegation against WENN arising out of, connected in any way with publication of the material., Model Release: no, Pictured: Gene Hackman, Credit line: WENN.com/Wenn/Avalon
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- Santa Fe, NM – The actor Gene Hackman (95) and his Wife Betsy Arakawa (63) were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The authorities said an investigation was on going. Pictured: Gene Hackman BACKGRID USA 27 FEBRUARY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Fe, NM – The actor Gene Hackman (95) and his Wife Betsy Arakawa (63) were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The authorities said an investigation was on going. Pictured: Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa BACKGRID USA 27 FEBRUARY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Fe, NM – The actor Gene Hackman (95) and his Wife Betsy Arakawa (63) were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The authorities said an investigation was on going. Pictured: Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa BACKGRID USA 27 FEBRUARY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I really doubt it’s actually been a month. Wasn’t the cause of death JUST released? I’m sure the coroner or police or whatever had maintained custody of the bodies until very recently.
It looks like they’ve only been available for four days, since the 24th
Yeah if an executor was waiting for the autopsy for timelines they may just have started making arrangements and the funeral homes don’t pick up bodies until it’s close to the time of a viewing or funeral. So we’ll see – doesn’t sound like the executor will be family as can’t see her naming one of the kids… (and he wouldn’t qualify with dementia so it would be silly if she hadn’t updated from listing him)
And surely the estate must be going into probate and lawyers anyway… she died first. And he left everything to her so… it’ll be sorted out amongst the family (son just getting a head start)
In death, it’s typical that the body can only be released to a funeral home — And they require arrangements, w/ at least a hefty deposit in advance. Given the family estrangement, they may be sifting through whatever arrangements the reclusive couple had made. If you haven’t planned a funeral recently, the market is crazy expensive.
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I went through this w/ an older sibling who lived/died, coincidentally, in NM. I spent weeks going through her personal records to sort it out.
That may be true for some funeral homes but definitely not all of them.
When my parents died (at different times) I just called our funeral home and ask them to come get their bodies. There was a delay with Dad due to an autopsy but his body was picked up before we went in to discuss arrangements.
As for Mom, our funeral director came immediately (within an hour, in the middle of the night) of my calling (approx 20 minutes after her death) to come pick her up. Again, this was before any arrangements had been made.
In my state (MD) only next of kin can direct what happens to the remains of a deceased person, unless the decedent had pre-arranged for their disposition with a funeral home in a binding contract. I work in the field, and have had the situation where a client’s body was kept in storage for almost a month because her estranged son refused to call the funeral home back about cremation. It was horrible for the family. Pre-arrange with a funeral home for your disposition! In my state putting it in the Will has no power, although it is communicative as to your desires…if someone reads the Will before the funeral which they often DO NOT.
When my Dad passed two years ago, we were told beforehand to call the Hospice nurse first, and they’d get in touch with the funeral home directly (my Dad had everything pre-planned and pre-paid, down to what he wanted to be buried in, and what chapel he wanted used at the site). The nurse got to us about an hr. after dad passed, and signed the paperwork, and the funeral home came shortly after to take Dad. They were considerate enough to not cover his face while wheeling him out so as not to distress us further.
Sadly, a LOT of people don’t make their final wishes known in writing, or even verbally, to loved ones. I do remember reading that Hackman’s daughter said they tried calling over and over and Betsy blocked it (maybe due to Gene’s progressing dementia). They finally stopped calling.
People, now is the time, while you have your cognition and ability to make your wishes known, and GET IT NOTARIZED. Give it to a trusted family member. Also, *regardless* of your net worth, it’s helpful to have your “estate” (money, stock, real estate, jewelry, art, whatever you own) in a LIVING TRUST. This is the ONLY way to not have to go to Probate Court (which can take months and months). This can be done with a lawyer or even a legal website, but again, GET IT NOTARIZED. This will make it so much easier for surviving family, or even charities, if that’s where you want it to go. Trust me, even a loving family can get ugly when it comes to money.
My experience with county coroners is that they are in touch with the family so arrangements can be made as soon as the body is available. This sounds like no family members are in communication with the coroners office. It’s like they are in John/Jane Doe limbo.
Given the estrangement and the wonky condition of the estate, Hackman’s kids might not want to go out of pocket to start arrangements without some kind of guarantee they will be reimbursed.
This is coming from TMZ. Maybe there is a reason why the bodies are not claimed yet. Maybe someone is pushing for more investigation and their lawyer advised not to claim yet. I’m just guessing, but we know how small details of this story have been twisted in the press from the beginning.
This is awful on all fronts.
My father and I were estranged when he took a downward spiral, and ended up in Hospice for the last 3 months of his life. although I was the sole beneficiary and the executor of his will, i had no PoA. when he entered into Hospice, I had 24 hours to find a funeral home, make arrangements, and Pay for them myself. Because he never made any arrangements for himself. I then had to shoulder all his costs, cleaning out the hoarder mess from 3 years of dementia, paying taxes and HOA, disposing of his wrecked car, along with everything else for 6 months before his estate went into probate, and I could access his funds.
It was horrendous, it is not easy, and as an estranged child, I honestly questioned whether or not I even wanted to give him the time of day.
That sounds like a difficult and challenging experience Lisa.
This story did get me thinking that if my father (also estranged) dies after his current wife I have no interest in getting involved and I don’t know who would arrange matters. I have no idea how I’d even find out!
SarahCS – I wish you only the best for the future.
I guess what I was originally trying to state, not too well, is that I had at least a fairly decent memory of my father for the first 40 years of my life. he was distant, and available when it suited him, not a great relationship.
When I hear ppl saying how awful it is that Hackman’s kids didn’t check up on him, I have my memories of asking for wellness checks – and my dad telling off the cops because I shouldn’t be bothering them or him.
and as far as arrangements – we don’t know what arrangements were made, who was supposed to take care of them, if they were paid, and if not, who is holding the bag. there are a LOT of questions, and for the most part his kids seem to be keeping their mouths shut, which I commend them for. We see lots of families sell their stories to the highest bidder, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Yes, families can be complicated. In my case, I ended up as my father’s next-of-kin when he was in the hospital. This is something that I doubt he would have wanted or anticipated. It was certainly something that I had neither wanted nor anticipated. His brother had been his power of attorney.
Upon my father’s death, my uncle informed me that I — in graduate school — was now responsible for paying for the arrangements for my father. He said this on the way to the funeral home where he had already started the process of arranging things. So it was emotionally and financially quite messy. I was never close to my uncle, and my relationship with my father was strained. Exhale.
Sending good thoughts out to you @Lisa and @SarahCS, and to all of those with difficult and complicated family circumstances.
@Blithe – sending good thoughts to you back.
I was at least an adult with a career when I had to figure out how to manage the costs. If I had been a student at the time, I have no idea what would have happened.
My mother’s dad was abusive to her when she was a child. As in, beat her unconscious in the front yard. (It was 1937, nobody GAF.) He got sober, confessed his sins and tried to make amends. I remember him saying (he was fat), “Sarah, ifI could get down on my knees to beg your forgiveness, I would.” She finally relented, but kept him at arm’s length. She was polite but there was no hug-it-out scene. He had a huge garden and when he left tomatoes and corn on the front porch, she’d call him and say thank you. When he died, Mom was the first person his wife called. She paid for his final arrangements, because the other four adult children wouldn’t even speak his name, let alone chip in or attend a funeral. While I know everyone has a different dynamic with their estranged parents… I just keep thinking, if Mom could forgive the man who left her permanently scarred, maybe Gene’s kids could rise above whatever happened between them.
OMG there was SO MUCH money to go around. If he understood that he wasn’t a great parent, including his children in his will would have been such a positive statement. Instead, this is a hurtful and final exclusion.
I dispute that Betsy was a uniting factor–if I were in her place, I would insist that a goodly portion his money be left to his children. That they both agreed to disinherit his children is cold as ice.
I hope the children are able to break the will. This feels wrong.
This! Even if they remained somewhat estranged as adults I think a parent who wasn’t present during childhood should understand that and be sympathetic.
At the very least this wealthy couple should have had their funeral arrangements paid for & on file w/ the attorney(s) who handled their will – especially given Gene’s deteriorating condition.
There was just so much Arakawa could do to force Hackman to show affection or interest for an offspring he actively avoided even while he was legally responsible for them. I don’t think she should be pointed at for their estrangement. By the look of things, they’d spent their last years pretty isolated but for occasional bumps into neighbours. She didn’t have any kind of emergency contact on speed dial, despite being sole caregiver for an elderly person with dementia. They didn’t seem to care for anything but being there for each other, which sounds awfully romantic but proved fatal at the end and it’s not always a good sign.
Why do men abandon their children for women.
Not even leaving trinkets to grandchildren?
I’m sorry but we don’t know the reasons for the estrangement between him and his kids who are the same age as his wife.
It has been very well documented, including through Hackman’s own words, that he was never around when his children were growing up and made zero effort to have relationships with them as adults until he was in his 60s. He didn’t abandon his children because of Betsy, he never tried to be a father to them, at all. Betsy is the one who encouraged him to try to have a relationship with his children.
This. I’ve been mostly lurking on the Hackman stories but I’ve been REALLY surprised at the glowing response people have expressed towards Hackman. I understand honoring his legacy as a great actor but as a person he has always struck me as cold and detached. Maybe that perception is shaped by what I know about his personal life but even in interviews he comes across as mean IMO.
Definitely sounds like someone who should not have had children. Glad that not having children is much more accepted today, but when he had his, it’s what you were supposed to do. If you didn’t, that was odd.
There was a documentary about the bodies going to the morgue (lisa ling?) and I think it’s kind of ok that the corpses are still there after a month, like it was not unusual for it to be there for that type of period. Anyway, they might be waiting for the outcome of fighting for the inheritance before claiming? omg what a mess. Sad sad
Fundamentally her will is irrelevant as she predeceased him.
And his will is effectively null and void as his sole beneficiary died first.
When writing your will it is v important to extrapolate circumstances out. I have left everything to my civil partner, then if he pre-deceases me it goes to my sister, if she also pre-deceases me, it’s split equal parts across a group of friends. If they all pre-decease me too, then to charity.
Means you don’t need to keep re-writing the will every time something changes, and it covers you in the event of eg a car accident with your nearest and dearest with multiple fatalities.
Horrible subject but good to be v clear.
Maybe there is a dispute with Betsy’s family about what kind of service to hold or where to hold it? I mean, Gene was kinda famous, so maybe it’s a “public vs. private memorial” thing.
It doesn’t strike me that Betsy was close to her family, or some sibling or cousin or close relative would have been mentioned in her will.
There are some very weird YouTube videos posted claiming that the FBI has been involved in investigating the deaths which makes no sense. And even stranger, these videos claim that there was some kind of secret tunnel complex under the Hackman house. I don’t put much stock in random YouTube videos but these are strange and disturbing. It’s like these people are never going to be allowed to rest in peace.
That’s all TMZ knows? That the bodies are still there? Hackman’s kids have iced them out, so they have to come up with drama somehow.
Hi children are not ‘kids’, they are all seniors now. Who knows what steps they have had to take for their mental health. . another source (People Mag, maybe?) I was reading last night mentioned interviews that Gene did where he said he wasn’t an easy father to have and that he was not close with his children when they were young. We can’t know the extent of any of the growing up, and I think we shouldn’t judge at this point.
What he actually said was that he was an absent and disinterested father and, after he divorced their mother, he made no effort to include his children in his life until Betsy encouraged him to when he was in his 60s. From the way he phrased it in one interview, it sounds like Betsy was pretty appalled by what a dick he had been to his kids.
I can imagine a scenario where the kids, young adults at the time, would try to reach out to their father but be consistently ignored.
The fact that even after establishing a relationship and getting to know his grandchildren (something he also talked about in an interview), he deliberately excluded them from his will is pretty telling of how he regarded them.
Why are we expecting his children, who he actively dismissed for decades, to have done all of the heavy lifting here? Because we liked him as an actor?
Thank you. Exactly this. He ignored them their whole lives, they were not important to him at all. Why should he be important to them now? If they are purposefully keeping away from this, good for them. They deserve their peace.
+1,000,000
He was married to his children’s mother for 30 years. Don’t know if they were separated, or if he just stayed married but was putting zero effort into the family. Looks like at the time of the divorce he’d already started seeing Betsy, so his focus was then on her. Maybe once he and Betsy were married, when he was 61, was when she reportedly started encouraging him to connect with his children.
They had wills. There should be executors named who would arrange a funeral.
Actually, since she died first, Gene’s estate goes to the children unless there is some provision in his will we are unaware of.
This was my take too but I read somewhere that they both had a provision that if they died within 30 or 90 days of one another all the money goes to charity.
As someone who has been involved in funeral planning let me play devil’s advocate here. One, where do his children live? Is there a disagreement about where they want them to be buried. If they want to bury them in a place other than New Mexico that’s a cost to fly the bodies to another state. You then have to find a mortuary who is going to accept the bodies. Did Gene and his wife have burial plots already paid for or insurance to cover funeral costs. Is there a disagreement about burial vs cremation. Was any of this stipulated in their wills. Did Betsy have any family members?? It’s very expensive no matter what decision is made. Maybe his children don’t have the money to cover the costs for burial or cremation. Maybe that is why they are trying to get money from the estate to cover the costs.
Has there been any information about who the executor(s) are? Assume they would originally have been executors for each other, but almost certainly there would have been contingencies named, especially once Gene’s declining mental state was apparent.
I went through this exact same scenario & posted a reply upthread [scrolldown fail]. My sister lived/died in NM. She had purchased a plot in some Buddhist sanctuary in CA years before, but had left no money or arrangements for anything else when she died unexpectedly. Pricing local funeral arrangements to get her released from the ME carried enormous sticker shock. It was a crazy 30days for us remaining (& out of state) siblings.
This happened in my family when a reclusive senior family member died and was not found for weeks. The reason the body went unclaimed for a long time was not that we didn’t care but that it was hard to find a funeral home that would accept a heavily decomposed body and prepare it to ship out of state where we wanted them to be buried. Ended up having them sent to a crematorium but people were very upset about it because they didn’t like the idea of cremation.
That’s crazy. Who else is supposed to accept and prepare a body if not the funeral home? Surely they have to deal with better or worse preserved bodies on a semi-regular basis?
I don’t know, I just remember there being a lot of chaos around the situation. Crime scene cleanup was needed at the home due to the manner of death and top it all off someone who worked for either the police or the coroner stole some items from the home during the process of discovering and removing the body. All I’m saying is, it is a complicated situation even for non celebrities and with his family living in another state they are not necessarily going to be right on it when the coroner releases the bodies.
First, they’ve only been able to be claimed for 4 days. This isn’t a story yet. However, why is the onus of responsibility on the children who he admits he was only a sperm donor to? Did they not make any arrangements themselves? Isn’t it the estates responsibility? Bc I hope we aren’t expecting the kids to pay for it when he them nothing. Why is one mentioning her relations?
They were 96 and 65(?) y/o. That’s a long time to be on this earth and not build any relationships strong enough that someone wants to make sure you are laid to rest.
Great comment. You are EXACTLY right. 💯
They were notoriously reclusive and seemingly their worlds were each other. Given the age gap it probably never crossed their minds that the situation could arise where she wouldn’t be able to handle the arrangements.
There is the possibility separate trusts might have been set up for them. But, I have read the oldest son has lawyered up to contest the will. So, maybe not.
There is a lot of money on the table. The home and land in New Mexico is alleged to be worth about 40 million. It would be a land developers dream to knock down the main home. And build a bunch of McMansions on it.
Whatever happens I hope it’s done with some dignity. Gene may not have been a great dad. But he does leave an acting legacy behind.
Like everyone said, TMZ is just trying to weave straw into gold. The bodies were kept for weeks by the ME for the toxicology tests. They couldn’t claim the bodies if they wanted to.
I do hope the adult children step up. Even if they were estranged. Still their father and step mother. Their bio mom passed away years ago also. I hope they can put them to rest or creamated to give them some decency in death. And not just left in a fridgerator with a toe tag.
They left millions, more than enough to be buried. They have wills that should have executors to handle any estate expenses, including funerals. Why should the children he neglected and then shafted at the end bear the expense of the arrangements? Assuming even that they do have the money.
How do you know they recieved no financial support while Gene was alive. A lot of jumping to conclusions.
To me it’s about decency once someone is dead a lot of anger subsides. At least it did for me when my dad passed.
Like I said, the son has allegedly lawyered up. If he wants the money the least they could do is lay them to rest.
And if they don’t and there is no will provisions for a funeral. Then the charity Betsy earmarked could do it. Since they are going to be in for a windfall of money.
King, Queen or pauper. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity when they pass.
I agree. This weird notion that once someone passed they are not not to be spoken ill about is RIDICULOUS . It is called CONSEQUENCES of being an ahole.
The fact that the bodies are unclaimed speaks volumes about HIS character not theirs. WTF
Why should they claim the bodies???? They have ZERO obligation to do that. Gene sounds like a dick who had a controlling wife. Maybe blame him for not having a closer relationship with them? Geez louise
So – Not claim the bodies
But his money. Thats ok
I find it highly unlikely a man of his means had a lawyer careless enough to not ID an heir in the event the wife pre deceased. This leads me to believe it goes to charity – and that’s why the son is challenging
Good luck with that toots it’s hard to undo a 20 year will made when he was perfectly lucid and if you didn’t even know the man was dead how can you demonstrate when he got sick
People are quick to shade his children but I believe when you create a child you are responsible for them. Cutting them out of your will is a little disgusting. They deserve their share. They missed out on having a father.
Eh, I had one. Wasn’t that great.
Same BeanieBean, same.
And he just informed us that he’s leaving most of his money to his millionaire wife who owns three homes and turned a lifelong independent voter (my dad) into an angry MAGA a-hole. YAY!
As a PSA: anyone can donate their body to science and all expenses will be paid (transportation, death certificates/permits, and cremation of remains that they give to family after donation)
I agree Sasha
As I’m sure many have said it’s the executor’s responsibility take care of all of this. If the none of the kids are named as such there’s not much they can do. Maybe because of the way the timing was with their deaths, that has to be figured out? I would assume if it’s not family then it’s their lawyers?
Trying to discover her next of kin might be taking a while as it was reported she had no”immediate ” family. Appears to be a legal wait in case there is family on her side somewhere who doesn’t know she died.
I assumed most of the assets were in a trust vs a will.
I also thought I read somewhere that the will hadn’t been updated in 20 years and the executor has died and the backup has retired from the law firm that created the documents. I’m not sure who is in charge now.
Used to work in law – it will be divided between the kids. If they are smart they will let it go at that.
What else would they do? It doesn’t look like Betsy had any beneficiaries and she has passed, so I don’t know who would be challenging their legal actions.
The autopsies took a while and were only completed somewhat recently – it’s also very possible that the kids are still working out amongst themselves what type of burial and/or cremation and where etc. honestly it seems like everyone including gene always assumed that he would die before Betsy and that Betsy would makes these decisions. We also don’t know if the siblings have a good relationship with each other. Honestly I think the kids are getting way too much flak. Gene himself has pretty much said he was a bad father to him and didn’t have much of a relationship with them. I find it kind of insane he left them nothing in his will – even if they were estranged, that is a pretty bold move by a parent that is a multi millionaire to leave all of his kids not one cent. Honestly it makes it seem so personal and the money aside, iif I was his child it would be one last stab in the gut that he never loved me or something. I think it’s terrible. We also don’t know the kids current financial situations – if things are still up in the air with the estates, they might literally not currently have the money to pay for an unforeseen burial / cremation etc out of their own pockets if they don’t have current access to estate funds. From the paparazzi photos that came out shortly after he died it didn’t seem like they had nice cars or anything – they might be relatively poor, it’s possible.
A couple of days ago, we went to a funeral for a forty-year-old woman diagnosed with cancer several weeks ago. Gene and Betsy were incredibly rich, he had a long life and she was a young senior citizen. If the kids have actively chosen not to take care of the funeral (sort of unclear at this point), then there might be a really good reason for it? Death is sad.
Here’s some info: “Julia Peters, who works for a Santa Fe-based trust company, has been appointed the personal representative of both Hackman’s and Arakawa’s estates.” She “was named as the second successor personal representative of Hackman’s estate, took over the duties as Arakawa and the first successor, attorney Michael G. Sutin, are both deceased.” His children were notified of her appointment on 3/7.
The first article below has a few additional references to the trust situation. Peters also filed with the court to put a hold on release of certain records about their deaths, which was granted temporarily (second article).
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/03/15/gene-hackman-will-betsy-arakawa-estate/82422061007/
https://apnews.com/article/gene-hackman-death-investigation-public-records-91130c30f67f619415ecc73448e6832f
There are so many unanswered questions about their lives and their deaths. Apparently Betsy refused to hire any caregivers or cleaners, insisting on caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken husband and the huge house all by herself. Why, when the couple was worth $80 million? The house was a mess, with dog poo all over the floor – obviously, she couldn’t cope. Apparently she left Gene alone when she went shopping and ran errands: my dad had Alzheimer’s and I would never, ever leave a patient alone. And why we are only talking about Gene’s next of kin – didn’t Betsy have any relatives? Siblings, nieces, nephews?