Beloved actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were tragically found dead on Wednesday after sharing over 30 years of marriage.
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Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991, sharing a long and enduring partnership that lasted until their deaths. Hackman was 95 years old at the time, while Arakawa was 63.
Here’s a look at the timeline of Hackman and Arakawa’s relationship, which first blossomed in the 1980s.
I’ve always admired Gene Hackman. He had an incredible intensity and realism he brought to every performance. The cinema has lost a Titan. May he and his wife rest peacefully. -BB
— Bruce Boxleitner (@boxleitnerbruce) February 27, 2025
📷: Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/HAoOecoDPU
Hackman was married to Faye Maltese from 1956 until their divorce in 1986. Together, they had three children: Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie. Maltese passed away in 2017, per US Weekly.
Hackman’s relationship with his future wife was first mentioned in a profile piece for The New York Times. The article noted that Hackman had “been living quietly for the last five years with a 28-year-old woman named Betsy Arakawa,” a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time at a fitness center in California.
A very sad day for the cinema’s family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away.
— Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas) February 27, 2025
My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers.
RIP 🎬🖤 pic.twitter.com/PmuiLU4Jyb
Just a year later Hackman and Arakawa settled into a newly constructed home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They lived there for the remainder of their lives. The couple shared a glimpse of their residence with Architectural Digest in an interview at the time. The outlet described the home as a 12-acre property on a piñon-covered hilltop just a few miles north of Santa Fe, offering 360-degree views that extend to the Colorado mountains.
Gene Hackman Credited His Wife Betsy Arakawa with Helping Craft His Writing Style
In 1991, the couple married. Arakawa was a constant by Hackman’s side on the red carpet until he retired from acting around 2005. The actor turned to writing Western novels, and credited his wife’s notes as invaluable to the process.
“If, in fact, I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends’ suggestions, and my wife’s unwavering, specific read-throughs,” he revealed on the Writer’s Bone podcast in 2014.
After retiring from acting, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were often spotted around Santa Fe. In a 2009 interview with Empire, Hackman shared that the couple enjoyed spending their time watching DVDs, which Arakawa would rent for them.
Over three decades into their marriage, Hackman and Arakawa were spotted out after years out of the spotlight. In widely shared photos from March 2024, the couple was seen leaving a restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The last known photo of Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife. Both were found deceased in their home pic.twitter.com/vmzDkI4KIQ
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) February 27, 2025
Hackman, 93 at the time, was pictured walking with a cane while holding onto his wife’s arm for support.