Medical examiner has heartbreaking theory about Gene Hackman and wife – PennLive
A medical examiner has presented a heartbreaking theory about the death of Gene Hackman and his wife.Jeffrey Mayer | WireImageIt has been more than a week since legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were discovered dead in their New Mexico home, and the mystery over what took them continues to grow.It has led to speculation — something that is often best to avoid in these situations — but PEOPLE Magazine recently spoke to James Gill, Chief Medical Examiner, with the Connecticut office of the Chief Medical Examiner, about what may have caused their death. Gill is not working the case, but he shared a theory that is … well, it is absolutely heartbreaking.“From the initial kind of circumstances, it seems like he may have collapsed,” Gill said. “He’s got a history of heart disease. He’s got a pacemaker. So that would not be unusual. But the unusual part is that why then did she also collapse? Assuming she would’ve found him., then you start wondering about: There is this thing where the stress of seeing someone die that could have triggered a natural death in her.”Gill told PEOPLE that, likewise, it is possible Hackman found his wife dead and “collapsed from the stress of that, too.”“Just as likely,” he said. “He’s older. He’s got known heart disease. But the autopsy would certainly show if she had heart disease or cancer or what have you.”He told PEOPLE that this scenario “has been known to happen, king of a broken heart-type thing, almost.”“Suddenly finding your loved one dead on the floor that can increase your adrenaline and that stimulates your heart to beat faster, and that can put your heart into an irregular rhythm.”He also said there are instances where people find loved ones and “get despondent and they do something to take their own life, and that may be with pills or what have you. I think the toxicology workup will be helpful in excluding causes such as an intoxication or injuries. “I think the autopsy and the toxicology testing is what’s needed to be seen in order to make that final determination,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s kind of speculation at this point.”Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 65. Their loss was tragic, but the latest theory could make it even more heartbreaking than anyone first imagined. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.Ad Choices
