Latest news with #BetsyHackman
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Gene and Betsy Hackman's Estate Wins Partial Victory in Footage and Death Records Court Ruling
A Santa Fe judge declared that records related Gene and Betsy Hackman's deaths could be released to the public — but in a mixed ruling handed down on Monday afternoon, they stipulated that images of the very private couple's partially decomposing bodies will not be released. Throughout Monday, Judge Matthew Wilson heard arguments at Santa Fe's First Judicial District Court from attorneys representing the Hackman family estate, which had asked that footage and documents related to the two deaths in February, which are traditionally part of the public record, be made private. Opposing this in court was counsel representing Santa Fe County, who made a case for state law and ensuring government transparency and accountability. More from The Hollywood Reporter How Gene and Betsy Hackman's Dog Died Revealed in New Report Who Will Be Handed Gene Hackman's Estate Uncertain as Wills of Actor and Wife Are Revealed Gene Hackman Survived in Home Alone With Advanced Alzheimer's for a Week After Wife's Death 'There shall be no depiction of either body in any video production,' Judge Wilson said in his ruling, which allows the release of redacted police body camera video and other documents. No photos or other explicit images from the autopsy reports will be made public, either. In March, police and the medical examiner revealed elements of the autopsy reports on the iconic actor and his wife of 30 years. The bodies of both were found Feb. 26 in separate rooms of their home during a wellness check; neither showed signs of external trauma, police said, but Hackman's pacemaker had sent its last record on Feb. 17, suggesting he had been dead for at least one week before his body was discovered slumped over in a mud room off the couple's kitchen. Gene Hackman died of severe cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor and Betsy Hackman died in their living room of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness caused by viruses transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents, the New Mexico Medical Examiner said. The couple had strived to live a private life together in their house on Old Sunset Trail Road after withdrawing from Hollywood life in 2004. On Monday, Sante Fe attorney Kurt Sommer told the court that the Hackman estate has a duty to protect Gene and Betsy's property, including photographs and videos taken of their dead bodies at the time they were discovered and during their autopsies. The arguments on Monday centered around whether the temporary restraining order Judge Wilson granted on March 17, effectively halting public access to the autopsy reports and death investigation reports for the estate, should become an injunction as their deaths are further investigated and other aspects of their estate are settled. 'Gene and Betsy Hackman's names, likenesses and images are valuable and need to be protected and that is clearly proven out by virtue of the press wanting to get their hands on the documents to exploit them for their own personal profit and gain,' Sommer said attorney Kurt Sommer for the estate at a hearing today in New Mexico over releasing materials related to the February deaths of the couple. 'This estate has a duty to protect Gene and Betsy's property, including photographs and videos of their dead bodies,' the Sante Fe lawyer asserted. The major question was whether the couple maintained a right to privacy in death, as well as the right to control the use of one's image after dying. The estate also argued that releasing the footage could cause future security issues at the late couple's estate. 'The request for the video is nothing more than backdoor exposure to the Hackmans' lifestyle that could not be attained by the press during their lifetime,' Sommer said. 'There's no damage to the media by waiting until these matters are decided, a significant amount of videos have already been released to the press.' Santa Fe County counsel Walker Boyd argued that the couple retains no right to privacy in death, according to the state laws currently on the books. He called it 'very unusual' for a judge to be asked to enter an order 'to stop state entities from doing their statutorily required jobs,' i.e., providing access to the records surrounding the death of a public figure. 'The estate and intervening family members do not possess the right of privacy being asserted here,' Boyd said. The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios had intervened in the matter after the judge issued the temporary order in February. Attorney Gregory P. Williams, representing the news outlets, told the judge that court filings showed that images of the couple's bodies would not be disseminated and they would blur to obscure them from other records. 'There is certainly a public interest in knowing how their deaths were investigated and knowing how that was handled,' Williams told the court. 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Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Gene and Betsy Hackman's Dog Died Revealed In New Report
An examination of the dog found dead along with actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Hackman in their Santa Fe home shows dehydration and starvation were likely what led to the animal's demise. A report obtained by The Associated Press from the state Department of Agriculture's veterinary lab details partial mummification and noted that while the severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death. More from The Hollywood Reporter Who Will Be Handed Gene Hackman's Estate Uncertain as Wills of Actor and Wife Are Revealed Gene Hackman Survived in Home Alone With Advanced Alzheimer's for a Week After Wife's Death Contradictory Accounts of Gene Hackman's Health in His Final Months Emerge The report noted that the dog's stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile. The kelpie mix named Zinna was one of the couple's three dogs. It was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Betsy Hackman's body, while two other dogs survived. Authorities confirmed last week that Gene Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease about a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — took the life of his wife. Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, apparently was unaware that his wife was dead. Gene Hackman was found in the home's entryway, and his wife was found in a bathroom. Like the dog, their bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe's especially dry air at an elevation of nearly 7,200 feet (2,200 meters). While both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office is finishing up the investigation by tying up the timeline with any information gleaned from the cellphones collected at the home and last contacts that were made. 'The case is considered active until we have that information to tie up the timeline,' said Denise Womack Avila, a spokesperson for the sheriff. Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to an incredible companion that was always at Betsy Hackman's side, said Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that was involved in the surviving dogs' care. Betsy Hackman, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym. Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films, including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman, from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s. The pair led a private life after moving to Santa Fe decades ago. A representative for the couple's estate has cited that privacy in seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports related to their deaths, especially photographs and video. It will be up to a state district judge to consider that request. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gene Hackman's Wife Betsy Died At Least One Week Before Him; He Survived in Home Alone With Advanced Alzheimer's Until His Death
Gene Hackman died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor, officials in New Mexico announced on Friday, and survived in the home he shared with his wife, Betsy Hackman, for a week after she died in their living room of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe respiratory illness caused by viruses transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents, officials said. Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner whose Hollywood career spanned four decades and classical pianist Betsy Hackman were found Feb. 26 in separate rooms of their home during a wellness check; neither showed signs of external trauma, police said, but Hackman's pacemaker had sent its last record on Feb. 17, suggesting he had been dead for at least one week before his body was discovered slumped over in a mud room off the kitchen. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at the time that he didn't believe there was foul play in the deaths of the couple, who had spent more than 30 years together in the house on Old Sunset Trail Road. More from The Hollywood Reporter Robert Pattinson Reveals Why He "Can't Watch Horror Movies Anymore" Roy Ayers, Jazz-Funk Musician Behind 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine,' Dies at 84 Felicia Minei Behr, 'All My Children,' 'Ryan's Hope' and 'As the World Turns' Producer, Dies at 82 Gene Hackman's autopsy showed signs of advanced Alzheimer's disease and officials indicated that he may not have known that his wife had died while he survived in their house for at least a week. Officials said it's difficult to know the legendary actor's mental state before his wife's death but said that he was in very poor health and there was no food in his stomach. He was not dehydrated at the time of his death. At a Friday press conference at the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner at the Office of the Medical Investigator, announced the findings of autopsies performed on both Hackmans, who had been married for 30 years and enjoyed a private life in Santa Fe following Gene Hackman's iconic Hollywood career. Jarrell said that the autopsy examination of Gene Hackman's body, showed severe heart disease, including evidence of multiple surgical procedures involving the heart as well as evidence of prior heart attacks. The actor's autopsy also showed severe changes to his kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure. An examination of the brain, showed advanced Alzheimer's disease, as well as blood vessel changes in the brain, secondary to chronic high blood pressure, Jarrell told reporters on Friday. At least a week prior to Gene Hackman's death, Betsy Hackman died of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which is a severe respiratory illness caused by hantaviruses, a family of viruses that are transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents. Symptoms of Hantavirus typically appear one to eight weeks after exposure and early symptoms may resemble the flu. The disease can progress rapidly, leading to severe respiratory distress, low blood pressure, and organ failure. On Feb. 11, Betsy Hackman was seen at a CVS and at a pet food store, Sheriff Mendoza told reporters and emails on her computer are unopened after that date. 'There was no additional outgoing communication from her or known activity after Feb. 11, 2025 cell phone information,' he said. 'We're working with state police to get the information from those phones, but our investigation shows that all the last known communication and activity…' More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
