Latest news with #Writer'sBone
Boston Globe
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Betsy Arakawa, a classical musician and the wife of Gene Hackman, dies at 65
'If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs,' he told the 'Writer's Bone' podcast in 2014. Advertisement Hackman would write his books with pen and paper, and Ms. Arakawa would type them up on a computer, making edits or sharing thoughts on characters with him, according to Barbara Lenihan, a friend of the couple for nearly 35 years. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'She was very involved with what he did,' Lenihan said. 'She made it very possible for him to do it.' Betsy Machiko Arakawa was born Dec. 15, 1959, and grew up in Honolulu. She began playing the piano at a young age. At 11, as a sixth-grader at Kahala Elementary School, she performed in front of thousands of students at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall, now the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. She later performed with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, now the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra. After moving to Los Angeles, she attended the University of Southern California from 1981 to 1983, graduating with a degree in social sciences and communication. During that time, she was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team, and worked as a production assistant on the television game show 'Card Sharks,' according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. She graduated with a master's degree in liberal arts from St. John's College in New Mexico in 1991. She met Hackman in the 1980s while she was working part time at a fitness center in Los Angeles and trying to make it as a classical musician. Hackman had three children from a previous marriage, and in 1991 he and Ms. Arakawa married and settled in Santa Fe. Her survivors include her stepchildren, Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie, and a grandchild. Advertisement In 1989, when she was dating Hackman, she gave a concert to residents at the retirement home that was used as a German nursing home in his film 'The Package.' After they married, she largely stopped performing in public. Ms Arakawa kept her life private, avoiding interviews and staying off social media. She would appear at awards shows with Hackman, and was often on the set of his movies, but avoided the limelight. 'She had to do a lot of Hollywood things, but she was very private,' Lenihan said. 'I think she could keep the parameters of their life together very well, and he appreciated that.' In 2001, Ms. Arakawa, who had an eye for interior design, opened Pandora's, a linens and home furnishings store in Santa Fe, with Lenihan. The longtime friends were running the store until her death. This article originally appeared in
CNN
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Betsy Arakawa died as she lived, privately with her beloved husband Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman was known for his talent as an actor, but many of his other artistic pursuits were inspired and supported by his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa. The Oscar-winner retired from the screen in 2014, in part, to spend more time painting and writing. In an interview that year with the podcast Writer's Bone, Hackman credited Arakawa for helping him develop his writing voice. 'If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs,' Hackman said at the time. Arakawa, a musician, was found dead along with her husband and their dog in their New Mexico home this week. The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said. Their bodies were found in separate rooms in their house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff's office. It was a sad and puzzling end to the quiet life the couple lived. Hackman and Arakawa, 'a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center,' were featured in a 1989 New York Times Magazine story. 'They share a two-bedroom adobe house on a wide brown plain outside Santa Fe,' the story stated of their residence at the time. 'He paints and sketches, solitary hobbies, and tools around in one of his two pickup trucks.' Hackman, then 59, had enjoyed three decades as a successful actor in Hollywood. He reflected on his career and personal life, including his 1986 divorce from Faye Maltese, whom he had married in 1956 and had three children with. The couple had multiple separations before finally ending their marriage. 'You become very selfish as an actor,' Hackman told the publication. 'You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down. Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn't able to handle that.' In an interview with the Sun-Sentinel to promote his 1985 film 'Twice in a Lifetime,' Hackman made it clear that the break down of his first marriage did not have to do with another woman. 'By the way, I did not leave my real life wife for a younger woman,' he said. 'We just drifted apart.' Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991. The pair enjoyed watching 'DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,' he told Empire in 2020. Arakawa, who grew up in Hawaii, reportedly found her love of music early. She once performed for 9,000 other young people at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall. Moving to Los Angeles after high school, she attended University of Southern California. Arakawa graduated with a degree in social sciences and communication, according to the New York Times. She then spent time working as a production assistant on the television game show 'Card Sharks' and as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team. With Hackman she found a true partnership. The Oscar-winning actor wrote multiple books, including 1999's 'Wake of the Perdido Star,' which he co-wrote with Daniel Lenihan, 2011's 'Payback at Morning Peak' and 2013's 'Pursuit.' Barbara Lenihan, the wife of Hackman's co-author and a friend of the couple for almost 35 years, told the New York Times that Arakawa would type on the computer her husband's books that he wrote long hand, assisting with edits and sharing her opinions about the characters. 'She was very involved with what he did,' Lenihan said. 'She made it very possible for him to do it.' Arakawa led the renovation and decorating their Southwestern-style ranch, Hackman told Architectural Digest in 1990. 'We bought a few things in Santa Fe,' Hackman said. 'Other things came from auctions in New York, an antiques shop in Germany that Betsy and I found, and from Los Angeles. It's a nice combination of soft Southwestern pieces and hard-edged antiques.' The couple also shared a love of animals. While Hackman was filming 'The Replacements' in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered onto the set. Hackman took them to a shelter where they were promptly named after the actor and his costar Keanu Reeves, according to The Baltimore Sun. Hackman and Arakawa later adopted the dog who was named Gene for him.
CNN
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Betsy Arakawa died as she lived, privately with her beloved husband Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman was known for his talent as an actor, but many of his other artistic pursuits were inspired and supported by his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa. The Oscar-winner retired from the screen in 2014, in part, to spend more time painting and writing. In an interview that year with the podcast Writer's Bone, Hackman credited Arakawa for helping him develop his writing voice. 'If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs,' Hackman said at the time. Arakawa, a musician, was found dead along with her husband and their dog in their New Mexico home this week. The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said. Their bodies were found in separate rooms in their house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff's office. It was a sad and puzzling end to the quiet life the couple lived. Hackman and Arakawa, 'a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center,' were featured in a 1989 New York Times Magazine story. 'They share a two-bedroom adobe house on a wide brown plain outside Santa Fe,' the story stated of their residence at the time. 'He paints and sketches, solitary hobbies, and tools around in one of his two pickup trucks.' Hackman, then 59, had enjoyed three decades as a successful actor in Hollywood. He reflected on his career and personal life, including his 1986 divorce from Faye Maltese, whom he had married in 1956 and had three children with. The couple had multiple separations before finally ending their marriage. 'You become very selfish as an actor,' Hackman told the publication. 'You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down. Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn't able to handle that.' In an interview with the Sun-Sentinel to promote his 1985 film 'Twice in a Lifetime,' Hackman made it clear that the break down of his first marriage did not have to do with another woman. 'By the way, I did not leave my real life wife for a younger woman,' he said. 'We just drifted apart.' Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991. The pair enjoyed watching 'DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,' he told Empire in 2020. Arakawa, who grew up in Hawaii, reportedly found her love of music early. She once performed for 9,000 other young people at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall. Moving to Los Angeles after high school, she attended University of Southern California. Arakawa graduated with a degree in social sciences and communication, according to the New York Times. She then spent time working as a production assistant on the television game show 'Card Sharks' and as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team. With Hackman she found a true partnership. The Oscar-winning actor wrote multiple books, including 1999's 'Wake of the Perdido Star,' which he co-wrote with Daniel Lenihan, 2011's 'Payback at Morning Peak' and 2013's 'Pursuit.' Barbara Lenihan, the wife of Hackman's co-author and a friend of the couple for almost 35 years, told the New York Times that Arakawa would type on the computer her husband's books that he wrote long hand, assisting with edits and sharing her opinions about the characters. 'She was very involved with what he did,' Lenihan said. 'She made it very possible for him to do it.' Arakawa led the renovation and decorating their Southwestern-style ranch, Hackman told Architectural Digest in 1990. 'We bought a few things in Santa Fe,' Hackman said. 'Other things came from auctions in New York, an antiques shop in Germany that Betsy and I found, and from Los Angeles. It's a nice combination of soft Southwestern pieces and hard-edged antiques.' The couple also shared a love of animals. While Hackman was filming 'The Replacements' in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered onto the set. Hackman took them to a shelter where they were promptly named after the actor and his costar Keanu Reeves, according to The Baltimore Sun. Hackman and Arakawa later adopted the dog who was named Gene for him.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Betsy Arakawa died as she lived, privately with her beloved husband Gene Hackman. Here's what we know about her
Gene Hackman was known for his talent as an actor, but many of his other artistic pursuits were inspired and supported by his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa. The Oscar-winner retired from the screen in 2014, in part, to spend more time painting and writing. In an interview that year with the podcast Writer's Bone, Hackman credited Arakawa for helping him develop his writing voice. 'If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs,' Hackman said at the time. Arakawa, a musician, was found dead along with her husband and their dog in their New Mexico home this week. The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said. Their bodies were found in separate rooms in their house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff's office. It was a sad and puzzling end to the quiet life the couple lived. Hackman and Arakawa, 'a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center,' were featured in a 1989 New York Times Magazine story. 'They share a two-bedroom adobe house on a wide brown plain outside Santa Fe,' the story stated of their residence at the time. 'He paints and sketches, solitary hobbies, and tools around in one of his two pickup trucks.' Hackman, then 59, had enjoyed three decades as a successful actor in Hollywood. He reflected on his career and personal life, including his 1986 divorce from Faye Maltese, whom he had married in 1956 and had three children with. The couple had multiple separations before finally ending their marriage. 'You become very selfish as an actor,' Hackman told the publication. 'You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down. Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn't able to handle that.' In an interview with the Sun-Sentinel to promote his 1985 film 'Twice in a Lifetime,' Hackman made it clear that the break down of his first marriage did not have to do with another woman. 'By the way, I did not leave my real life wife for a younger woman,' he said. 'We just drifted apart.' Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991. The pair enjoyed watching 'DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,' he told Empire in 2020. Arakawa, who grew up in Hawaii, reportedly found her love of music early. She once performed for 9,000 other young people at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall. Moving to Los Angeles after high school, she attended University of Southern California. Arakawa graduated with a degree in social sciences and communication, according to the New York Times. She then spent time working as a production assistant on the television game show 'Card Sharks' and as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team. With Hackman she found a true partnership. The Oscar-winning actor wrote multiple books, including 1999's 'Wake of the Perdido Star,' which he co-wrote with Daniel Lenihan, 2011's 'Payback at Morning Peak' and 2013's 'Pursuit.' Barbara Lenihan, the wife of Hackman's co-author and a friend of the couple for almost 35 years, told the New York Times that Arakawa would type on the computer her husband's books that he wrote long hand, assisting with edits and sharing her opinions about the characters. 'She was very involved with what he did,' Lenihan said. 'She made it very possible for him to do it.' Arakawa led the renovation and decorating their Southwestern-style ranch, Hackman told Architectural Digest in 1990. 'We bought a few things in Santa Fe,' Hackman said. 'Other things came from auctions in New York, an antiques shop in Germany that Betsy and I found, and from Los Angeles. It's a nice combination of soft Southwestern pieces and hard-edged antiques.' The couple also shared a love of animals. While Hackman was filming 'The Replacements' in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered onto the set. Hackman took them to a shelter where they were promptly named after the actor and his costar Keanu Reeves, according to The Baltimore Sun. Hackman and Arakawa later adopted the dog who was named Gene for him.
CNN
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Betsy Arakawa died as she lived, privately with her beloved husband Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman was known for his talent as an actor, but many of his other artistic pursuits were inspired and supported by his wife of 34 years, Betsy Arakawa. The Oscar-winner retired from the screen in 2014, in part, to spend more time painting and writing. In an interview that year with the podcast Writer's Bone, Hackman credited Arakawa for helping him develop his writing voice. 'If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends' suggestions, and my wife's unwavering, specific read-throughs,' Hackman said at the time. Arakawa, a musician, was found dead along with her husband and their dog in their New Mexico home this week. The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said. Their bodies were found in separate rooms in their house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff's office. It was a sad and puzzling end to the quiet life the couple lived. Hackman and Arakawa, 'a classical pianist he met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center,' were featured in a 1989 New York Times Magazine story. 'They share a two-bedroom adobe house on a wide brown plain outside Santa Fe,' the story stated of their residence at the time. 'He paints and sketches, solitary hobbies, and tools around in one of his two pickup trucks.' Hackman, then 59, had enjoyed three decades as a successful actor in Hollywood. He reflected on his career and personal life, including his 1986 divorce from Faye Maltese, whom he had married in 1956 and had three children with. The couple had multiple separations before finally ending their marriage. 'You become very selfish as an actor,' Hackman told the publication. 'You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down. Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn't able to handle that.' In an interview with the Sun-Sentinel to promote his 1985 film 'Twice in a Lifetime,' Hackman made it clear that the break down of his first marriage did not have to do with another woman. 'By the way, I did not leave my real life wife for a younger woman,' he said. 'We just drifted apart.' Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991. The pair enjoyed watching 'DVDs that my wife rents; we like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,' he told Empire in 2020. Arakawa, who grew up in Hawaii, reportedly found her love of music early. She once performed for 9,000 other young people at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall. Moving to Los Angeles after high school, she attended University of Southern California. Arakawa graduated with a degree in social sciences and communication, according to the New York Times. She then spent time working as a production assistant on the television game show 'Card Sharks' and as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team. With Hackman she found a true partnership. The Oscar-winning actor wrote multiple books, including 1999's 'Wake of the Perdido Star,' which he co-wrote with Daniel Lenihan, 2011's 'Payback at Morning Peak' and 2013's 'Pursuit.' Barbara Lenihan, the wife of Hackman's co-author and a friend of the couple for almost 35 years, told the New York Times that Arakawa would type on the computer her husband's books that he wrote long hand, assisting with edits and sharing her opinions about the characters. 'She was very involved with what he did,' Lenihan said. 'She made it very possible for him to do it.' Arakawa led the renovation and decorating their Southwestern-style ranch, Hackman told Architectural Digest in 1990. 'We bought a few things in Santa Fe,' Hackman said. 'Other things came from auctions in New York, an antiques shop in Germany that Betsy and I found, and from Los Angeles. It's a nice combination of soft Southwestern pieces and hard-edged antiques.' The couple also shared a love of animals. While Hackman was filming 'The Replacements' in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered onto the set. Hackman took them to a shelter where they were promptly named after the actor and his costar Keanu Reeves, according to The Baltimore Sun. Hackman and Arakawa later adopted the dog who was named Gene for him.
