Gene Hackman's nephew warns against speculation about Hollywood legend's death

Yahoo

06-03-2025

Gene Hackman's nephew doesn't want to fuel "negative theories" surrounding the Hollywood legend's death. The 95-year-old actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe home last week but his nephew Tim Hackman has stressed that his loved ones don't want to "speculate" on what caused the mysterious tragedy, which has been described as "suspicious" by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office. Tim told Us Weekly: "We're waiting on toxicology. That will tell us everything. It's hard to theorise. There are lots of theories out there and I don't want to speculate. It's easy to speculate negative theories." He added: "The family wants to keep it positive for now and when we know the truth we will deal with it." Tim revealed that the description of 'The Royal Tenenbaums' actor and his wife's mummified bodies - as well as that of their dog Zinna - have left the family with lots of unanswered questions. He said: "My uncle was 95 years old at an age where you think about, 'Okay, it's time'. But from the circumstances now things have changed a bit. It's a major change." Tim explained that the Oscar-winning star was "like any other family member", although he was left in awe by his uncle's successful career in the movies. He said: "For me personally, it's something I would find strange because I was a fan and a nephew. There were moments of, 'Wow, Gene Hackman is in front of me'." It has emerged that Gene's death was not likely to have been as a result of gas poisoning. The New Mexico Gas Company confirmed via a statement from officials to DailyMail.com that "there were no significant findings" of gas leaks or carbon monoxide in the home. However, the authorities did confirm that five "red tags" had been issued, including one "minor leak" from a stove with a reading of "0.03 per cent gas in the air". The statement added: "The other four red tags were for code enforcement violations - not involving gas leaks or carbon monoxide - involving a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces." Investigators have suggested that it could take weeks to determine the cause of the pair's deaths.