By DONNA BALANCIA
Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog were found dead in his Santa Fe, N.M. home and an investigation is ongoing into the cause of their deaths, police said.
The actor’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman told TMZ she believed her father, his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa, 63, and one of their three dogs died by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the couple may have been dead for at least a day at the time they were called to the house on Wednesday. Mendoza has not ruled out anything as the cause of death of Hackman and his wife.
The beloved movie, theatre and TV star is a two-time Academy Award winner, with a Best Actor Oscar for The French Connection,” in which he played detective Popeye Doyle, and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett in “Unforgiven.”
In addition to his serious lead-actor roles, Hackman amused fans with lighter fare like his portrayal of Lex Luther in “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” and in films including “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “The Replacements,” “Welcome to Mooseport” and “Young Frankenstein.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” daughters Elizabeth, Leslie and granddaughter Annie said in a statement to The New York Post on Thursday.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” the continued. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
More to come.