Gene Hackman Died At Home A Week After Wife Betsy Arakawa Died From Hantavirus

Gene Hackman during Runaway Jury Press Conference with Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz at Wyndham Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. (Photo by Vera Anderson/WireImage)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Forensic experts came to a simple but heartrending conclusion about the manner of death for 95-year-old actor Gene Hackman — heart failure and Alzheimer’s a full week after a rare, rodent-borne disease took the life of his wife at their Santa Fe home. Authorities revealed Friday that Hackman apparently died following Betsy Arakawa’s death from hantavirus. Chief medical investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes. Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26. Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.