Much of Hollywood and the general public at large continue to lament the death of legendary actor Gene Hackman as well as his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The couple were found dead, along with their dog, in their New Mexico home this past week, and an investigation into the matter is ongoing. As the authorities seek answers, some of the people in Hackman and Arakawa’s personal orbit are speaking out in the aftermath of their deaths. Some of the latest people to do so are longtime friends and neighbors, who apparently knew the pair well.
Daniel and Barbara Lenihan lived about 10 minutes away from Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in New Mexico and had known them for years. The Lenihans told People the last time their family had any kind of communication with their deceased friends was about “two to three weeks ago.” At that time, the Lenihans’ 41-year-old son, Brendan, had spoken to Arakawa about the upcoming birth of his second child. As 75-year-old Barbara recalled:
[Brendan] was telling Betsy it was a boy, and she was very excited. It wasn't a real long message, but then Brendan was hoping to hear back again soon.
According to the news outlet, Daniel Lenihan, 79, apparently met the deceased 95-year-old Oscar winner back in 1992. He and Mrs. Lenihan apparently forged a firm personal relationship with the beloved actor and his wife, who referred to as “just very kind people.” Mr. Lenihan also referred to the Bonnie and Clyde star as “intense” but, by the sounds of it, he had a lot of respect for Mr. Hackman:
Gene's a fellow that when he had an idea come up about something that we were going to write or do, or something he just wanted to do, you could tell from his voice that he had such an idea and he would just lay it out like it's something that God Almighty had demanded be done.
Barbara Lenihan referred to Gene Hackman as a “Renaissance man” while also calling Betsy Arakawa, who was 64 at the time of her passing, a “sharp” woman, who was also “funny, very witty.” The Lenihans’ other son, Aaron (38), also remembered Hackman as being both “extremely kind” and “honest while also maintaining “a lot of integrity.”
Following his passing, Gene Hackman tributes poured in from fellow actors, some of whom also shared their recollections of working with the late star. Bill Murray, for instance, recalled working with Hackman on The Royal Tenenbaums, during which the late actor reportedly asked for a copious amount of takes on a particular scene. The actor’s legacy was quite extensive, as he starred in iconic films like The French Connection, Unforgiven, Hoosiers and Superman (one of the best superhero movies of all time).
As of this writing, an official cause of death has yet to be determined when it comes to the late star and his wife. There have been no signs of foul play, though the deaths have been ruled “suspicious.” It’s also been reported that a number of notable items were recovered from the Hackman/Arakawa home, including “a thyroid medication, Tylenol and Diltiazem” Hackman’s daughters have since spoken out, saying that their father was in good health shortly before his death.
It remains to be seen how the police investigation will pan out. For now, though, we here at CinemaBlend extend our thoughts to the families of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa as well as their friends like the Lenihans.
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