was at the age of 95 in his Santa Fe home, alongside his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, 63.
Their family dog was also deceased at the scene, with police discovering the bodies on Wednesday (February 26). No cause of death has been given, though no foul play is suspected.
That hill-top house was a stunning mansion in New Mexico, situated on 12 acres of land with a 360-degree view stretching all the way to the Colorado mountains. The star bought the property for its stunning location after working on a few films in Santa Fe, which “had a kind of magic in it”.
But the two-time Oscar winner wanted a few changes made, bringing in architects Harry Daple and Stephen Samuelson from Studio Arquitectura to transform it from a 1950s block to an incredible open space.
Samuelson admitted: “The house was horrible. It was a 1950s block building that had sat empty and had deteriorated. But it was a great site, and the foundation had been well placed on the land.”
Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95 along with his wife Betsy (Image: Getty)
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The house was transformed into a lighter space featuring French doors and raised ceilings, with a vast living area that boasted comfortable sofas and a modern stereo system.
Samuelson described it as “primitive, like a barn converted into a house, massive and cosy at the same time”.
90% of the roof had to be removed to raise the ceilings, with a central “great hall” feeling living space and interiors boasting fake water marks. New beams for the ceilings were added, along with a stamped-tin ceiling in certain rooms.
Gene settled in Santa Fe as it had “magic” (Image: Getty)
His wife Betsy remained on site while the renovations were going ahead, while Hackman was away filming. They furnished the home with antiques from around the world, and designed the house as a “haven” for the rare times Gene wasn’t out on location.
Gene was insistent on an authentic look that blended typical Santa Fe furnishings with other items from New York, Los Angeles and even Germany.
He even mixed paints to achieve the exact colour he wanted for the home, specifying minute details in the kitchen and even helped to demolish certain parts of the old house.