Authorities on Friday revealed the causes of death for actor Gene Hackman and his wife, saying the couple are believed to have died a full week apart at their home in New Mexico from two different diseases.
The state’s chief medical examiner said Hackman, 95, died as a result of heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease being a contributing factor. He also had chronic high blood pressure and poor kidney function.
“He was in a very poor state of health,” Dr. Heather Jarrell told a news conference on Friday.
Hackman wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a rare lung infection known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The condition is spread by infected rodent droppings and can cause respiratory failure.
Investigators said Arakawa, 65, likely died on Feb. 11. Hackman’s pacemaker indicates he died seven days after his wife.
Authorities announced Friday that actor Gene Hackman showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease and died of heart disease about a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Dr. Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, told reporters it was possible that Hackman was not aware his wife had died in their home.
Officials believe the late actor was alone in the house with his wife’s body during that time. He might not have realized Arakawa had died due to the progression of his Alzheimer’s, Jarrell said.
“It’s quite possible he was not aware she was deceased,” the medical examiner said at the news conference.
The couple’s partially mummified bodies weren’t discovered at their home until Feb. 26. Hackman was found near his cane in the entryway, and Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor.
Jarrell said pills found near Arakawa’s body were thyroid medication and not linked to her cause of death. The medical examiner said hantavirus is spread through rodent feces and can initially cause flu-like symptoms before progressing to shortness of breath as well as cardiac and lung failure.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has said it does not suspect foul play, and tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. The couple’s dog was also found dead in its crate.