Gene Hackman's lonely end in the mud room of his Santa Fe mansion - a week after the death of his wife in the bathroom from a rat-borne virus - was as far away from the spotlight as possible.
Gene Hackman, 95, died from heart disease in his Santa Fe home a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from a rat-borne virus in their bathroom. Hackman, battling Alzheimer's, may not have realized his wife had died. He was found in poor health, having gone without food, while his wife's body decomposed. The couple's dogs were also left alone, with one found dead near Betsy's remains.