Gene Hackman’s haunting comments on his ‘fear of death’ & desire to ‘take care of wife’ emerge after couple found dead
LEGENDARY actor Gene Hackman made haunting comments saying he "feared" death before he passed away in his New Mexico home aged 95.
Cops in Santa Fe revealed the star was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog in their plush $3.8 million home on Wednesday.
Cops have said there are no signs of foul play, per the Santa Fe New Mexican.
"All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant," Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County sheriff said.
Police have not revealed a cause of death but shared extra details about the tragic discovery.
“On February 26 2025, at approximately 1.45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased," a police statement said.
Hackman's poignant comments on fearing death have now resurfaced.
In a 2009 interview, the two-time Oscars winner said: "I have the normal fear of passing away.
"You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age.
"I try to take care of myself."
The star also revealed that he wanted his wife and family to be taken care of once he was gone.
"I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears," he added.
The star also once said: "It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen.
"I think of myself, and feel like I'm quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that."
Hackman was last seen publicly with Betsy in March 2024 at a restaurant in Santa Fe.
He appeared frail as he used a cane and grabbed onto his wife's arm for support when walking.
The couple were on a dinner date in Santa Fe, New Mexico, heading into Pappadeaux's restaurant.
The Hollywood legend had celebrated his 94th birthday just weeks before his last pictures were taken.
Earlier in the day, the couple were also seen visiting a local Speedway store, where Gene bought a cup of coffee and an apple pie
Hackman was married twice, tying the knot with Faye Maltese in 1956.
The couple had three children - one son and two daughters.
They were married for three decades, divorcing in 1986.
He and classical pianist Betsy had been married since 1991.
Hackman, born in California in 1930, revealed his dad left the family home when he was 13.
He revealed his dad waved at him when he was playing outside.
"It was a real adios," he told Vanity Fair in 2004.
"It was so precise.
"Maybe that’s why I became an actor.
"I doubt I would have become so sensitive to human behavior if that hadn’t happened to me as a child—if I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean."
Hackman served in the US Marine Corps for four years from the age of 16.
He was discharged in 1951 but a year later, his mother died in a house fire.
HEARTFELT TRIBUTES
Floods of messages from fellow Hollywood stars have poured in to remember the acting legend and his special career.
American actor George Takei said Gene's work "will live on forever".
"We have lost one of the true giants of the screen. Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it," Takei said.
"He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was."
The great filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with Gene in the 1974 film The Conversation, remembered him as a "great actor".
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman, a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity," Coppola said.
"I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Piers Morgan also paid a touching tribute to the star.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"What an incredibly sad end to a remarkable life. RIP," he said.
/boxout