UPDATE: Gene Hackman & Wife Remain Unclaimed

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26, and more than a month later, their bodies remain unclaimed, TMZ reports.

However, according to TMZ, officials confirmed that “it’s not unusual for bodies to remain unclaimed for a month after dying.” At this moment, there is no known reason why Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies remain unclaimed, but “it’s possible the family is still making funeral arrangements or finalizing plans.”

Hackman has three children — Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 — with his first wife Faye Maltese.

Gene Hackman’s Family Trying to Block Release of the Autopsy and Death Investigation Reports

GettyCity of Santa Fe Fire Department Chief Brian Moya speaks during a press conference at the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office to provide an update on the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa on February 28, 2025 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The U.S. Sun reported on March 19 that Hackman’s family is trying to block the release of the autopsy and death investigation reports on top of wanting to block photos and videos of their bodies and their Santa Fe home.

According to the source who spoke with The Sun, this is a “very atypical” move that they “have (never) seen before.”

Gene Hackman Left His Children Out Of His Will

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Imageslate US actor Gene Hackman is seen on a screen during an ‘in memoriam’ segment at the 97th Annual Academy Awards

2005 was the last time Hackman signed his will and it showed that he left his entire estate to his wife Betsy Arakawa, per People. Hackman was worth an estimated $80 million when he died, CinemaBlend reported.

However, because Arakawa died before Hackman, a legal expert told People in a March 14 interview what this means in terms of the actor’s will.

“When you have a married couple, the issue is who dies first, and in this case, Betsy died first, so she left everything to the Gene Hackman trust. He outlives her. So he theoretically inherits from Betsy into his trust, and then when he dies, his trust goes to whoever his trust beneficiaries are,” the expert explained to People. “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.”

The post UPDATE: Gene Hackman & Wife Remain Unclaimed appeared first on EntertainmentNow.