A former actress has expressed her concern over the death of as she said that the situation is “distressing”. Carol Drinkwater, best known for portraying Helen Herriot in the television adaptation of the James Herriot books , questioned why no one had checked in on the 95-year-old star and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The couple were both found dead inside their on February 26, along with one of their , Zinna. Many questions arose after their deaths, with it being revealed that Betsy died from , a rat-borne disease, on February 11, while the Superman actor reportedly died about a week later – around February 18.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy were both found dead (Image: Getty)
Posting to her X/Twitter account, 76-year-old Carol showed her concern as she wrote: “Am I the only who finds this Gene Hackman story rather distressing? How wife was dead a week ahead of him?
“He was 95 with Alzheimer’s. Was there no one going in to make daily checks on this couple? Family, kids, a cleaner or housekeeper? How can this have happened?”
Carol’s fans also weighed in on the matter as they shared their own thoughts. One replied: “I find it strange as well. After thinking about it for a few days now and having other people in my life with the same disease I find it hard to fathom that he wouldn’t tend to the dog in the crate. That’s the biggest thing that sticks out to me. And I think he would have tried to help his wife as well.”
Don’t miss… [UPDATE]
Am I the only who finds this Gene Hackman story rather distressing? How wife was dead a week ahead of him. He was 95 with Alzheimer’s. Was there no one going in to make daily checks on this couple? Family, kids, a cleaner or housekeeper? How can this have happened?
— Carol Drinkwater (@Carol4OliveFarm)
Another added: “It’s a very tragic end for a man I’ve admired for forty years. Very sad that he was not surrounded by loved ones as he passed,” while a third said: “It’s hard to fathom, I agree. I keep thinking about him wandering around the house not realizing his wife is dead. It’s heartbreaking.”
Hackman’s cause of death was reported to have been hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but his advanced Alzheimer’s was also a “significant contributory factor”.
Fox News’ medical contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel, seemed to think that Hackman’s mental state played a huge role in the