Celebrity deaths have a way of affecting the public, as seen in the In Memoriam segment from last weekend's Academy Awards. One of the names honored was the late Gene Hackman, as the sudden death of him and his wife Betsy Arakawa is still puzzling the public. And a forensic pathologist recently offered their idea about what might have caused their mysterious passing.
Tributes to Gene Hackman have been rolling in since his death, but the late actor's generations of fans are also curious about his cause of death. Originally the passing of Hackman, his wife, and his dog was deemed unsuspicious, but the situation has been ongoing. Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden spoke to Fox News about what might have occurred. He thinks that Hackman's pacemaker might offer clues about his final moments, as he put it:
That event would have been a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate. The pacemaker keeps track of the pulse, and when it gets down too low, it discharges. And that's all in the record.
News of Hackman's death mystified the public thanks to his wife and dog also being found dead at the same time. Theories started flying around online, including folks who thought that perhaps there was a carbon monoxide leak. But that's been ruled out by the authorities, adding another fold to the ongoing situation.
In the same interview, Baden hypothesized that it as indeed a cardiac incident that caused the Superman actor's death in his home. As he was quoted:
So the autopsy showed he didn't have any injury. There was no carbon monoxide. And he had — the most common cause of death in this country — severe heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure perhaps, from what's been released. So that would cause him, having cardiac arrest in the mudroom, to collapse right there.
Of course, this theory still leaves the question about what happened to Betsy Arakawa. The forensic pathologist's theory is that she died while trying to help Hackman. Her shared his idea about what could have happened, offering:
She may have struck her head on the way down and had some internal injury to the brain that doesn't show up on the outside or bleeding in the inside of the brain. Or that she may also, at 65, had severe heart disease and excitement can cause a trigger to the cardiac rhythm causing death under those circumstances. I think the first, that striking her head would be more common
As for their dog that was also found dead, Dr. Michael Baden offered that he simply might have been without food water after the Hackman and his wife passed away and he was reportedly left in his kennel. This is all very upsetting to think about, but offers one theorized timeline about what might have happened in that home.
The Oscars paid tribute to Hackman, and both his fans and those who knew the late actor are collectively still processing his sudden death. That includes watching Hackman's performances you might not have seen, as well as the classics. Additionally, the public will continue paying attention to updates regarding the actor's sudden passing.
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