Gene Hackman left his entire fortune to his wife Betsy Arakawa (Image: Getty)
‘s children have been dealt a fresh blow after the contents of the late star’s will was revealed. Gene was found dead at the age of 95 alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, at their Santa Fe home in February.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor , with no inheritance included for his three children; Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58.
With his three children set to receive nothing, it could pave the way for a potential inheritance battle. Meanwhile US reports indicate that , further suggesting the possibility of a legal battle.
However, Gene and Betsy signed their wills in 2005, meaning any potential challenges to its contents may be hard to dispute, a legal expert has claimed.
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The contents of Gene’s will may be hard to dispute, a legal expert has claimed (Image: Getty)
Trust and family law attorney David A. Esquibias told : “In this situation, Gene Hackman and his wife did not sign their will and trust in 2025 or 2024. But, had that been the case, I think there was more likelihood that there’s gonna be a contest. But if you look at the dates of the will, they’re 2005.
“Contesting a 20-year-old document is exponentially harder than contesting a deathbed-signed document.”
Gene and Betsy, who had been married since 1991, named their spouse as the personal representatives of each others’ estates when they signed their wills in June 2005.
In the event of Gene and Betsy dying within 90 days of each other, all of Betsy’s money was set to go to charity.
Betsy was also named the successor trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust, however, Esquibias claims it is impossible to say who the beneficiaries are now because the information has not been made public.
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Betsy died one week before Gene (Image: Getty)
This means it is not known whether Gene’s three children, who he welcomed with his first wife Faye Maltese, are included.
He said: “In this case, we don’t see who the beneficiaries are of the Gene Hackman trust because the Gene Hackman trust hasn’t been either publicly released or it’s not part of the probate proceeding. Typically, though, the probate proceeding, at least in California, the trust is usually included.”
It was tragically revealed that Betsy died one week before Gene. , a rare but serious infectious disease that affects the lungs.
Meanwhile, Gene died from coronary artery disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor.