Gene Hackman Suffered from Advanced Alzheimer's Disease and May Not Have Been 'Aware' Wife Betsy Died, Authorities Reveal

Mar. 15, 2025

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy.Photo:Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Gene Hackman had “advanced” Alzheimer’s disease and may not have known that his wife was dead, authorities in New Mexicorevealed during a press conferenceon Friday, March 7.

Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy, 65, were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, and their bodies were discovered in advanced states of decomposition.

During the conference, New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell said that following an autopsy, the Oscar-winning actor’s brain showed he was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, as well as heart disease and hypertension, all of which contributed to his death.

Hackman’s pacemaker, meanwhile, showed activity six days later, on Feb. 17; Jarrell said it is “reasonable” to conclude Betsy died first and Hackman died seven days later on Feb. 18.

Hackman “was in a very poor state of health,” said Jarrell, and no food was found in his stomach, suggesting he had not eaten in a while, though he showed no evidence of dehydration.

“I can tell you that he was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s, and it’s quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased,” Jarrell noted.

The actor was found collapsed in a mudroom of the home, while Betsy was discovered in a bathroom, near a countertop scattered with pills.

AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales

Hackman enjoyed a prolific, decades-long acting careerthat netted him two Oscars before retiring to Santa Fe in the mid-2000s. He and Betsy, a classical pianist, had been married since 1991.

source: people.com