A friend of the late has claimed that the 95-year-old actor would have died “long ago” had it not been for the care of his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65. The celebrity couple were both found dead alongside one of their at their Santa Fe home in last week on February 26.
Tom Allin, a longtime friend said the once said he would have died “long ago” if wife Betsy had not been by Gene’s side to take care of him. Allin told New York Times that she was “very protective of him” in his declining years. He added: “She just really looked after him.”
Gene Hackman died aged 95 (Image: Getty)
She also ensured that Gene ate healthily. The couple did not appear to have a anyone to assist in her caretaking duties for her ailing husband, who she had been married to for 34 years.
Friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan told the couple were ‘essentially kind of homebound’ due to Hackman’s Alzheimer’s. They revealed Arakawa tried to keep him busy with activities such as puzzles and doing yoga classes via Zoom.
The friend explained that Betsy would often set up her husband’s golf dates and visits from pals as the actor wasn’t interested in technology, so she dealt with all his calls and emails. A close friend revealed last night that Gene’s dislike of electronics was a part of his downfall.
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The couple were together for more than 30 years (Image: Getty)
It was reported that the star could not call for help when his wife died because he did not own a mobile phone.
A source told Daily Mail: “This is so sad. Mrs Hackman died and Gene was so far advanced with his Alzheimer’s that he was wandering around and didn’t eat. If he didn’t have a phone , even if he’d wanted to.”
Autopsies carried out on the couple’s bodies determined that Betsy had died first on February 11, of hantavirus, a caused by exposure to rodent feces. The medical examiner believes that Gene, who had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, died about a week later on February 18.
Medical examiner Dr Heather Jarrell said: “It’s quite possible that Mrs Hackman died and her husband was not aware that she was deceased.”