Gene Hackman Dead: Cause of Death Revealed for Oscar Winner and Wife Betsy Arakawa
Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home in late February. Although the local sheriff's department initially stated there was no indication of foul play, an affidavit released by New Mexico authorities later called the deaths 'suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.'
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Deputies found Hackman and Arakawa, and their dog, deceased during a visit to the couple's house. Per the affidavit, 'the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened.'
Per our sister site Variety, it appears that Arakawa died on or around Feb. 11, while Hackman passed about a week later. Hackman had advanced Alzheimer's disease and severe heart disease; his pacemaker showed a cardiac event taking place on Feb. 17, according to the Office of the Medical Investigator.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, hantavirus is a potentially fatal virus spread mainly by rodents.
According to the warrant, maintenance workers found Hackman's body in the house's mudroom, with sunglasses and a cane nearby; an officer on the scene said it looked like he had 'suddenly fallen.' while Arakawa's body was on a bathroom floor. A counter in that bathroom also contained an open prescription bottle, with pills spilled out. Both bodies showed signs of decomposition.
A German shepherd was found dead near Arakawa in the bathroom; two other dogs were found, alive, on the property. Local officials did not find evidence of a gas or carbon monoxide leak in the house.
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Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Couple Adopt Puppy From Shelter, DNA Reveals Unbelievable Mix
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When dog owner Milly, from Ohio, posted photos of her 5-month-old dog Bess online, she wasn't expecting the flood of admiration that followed. "We keep getting asked if she is a 'designer dog' but we really just lucked out with the shelter," the owner said in a Reddit post with thousands of upvotes and more than 100 comments. An unusual mix of Siberian husky and golden retriever, Bess has the classic markings of a husky with unmistakable long fur and floppy ears of a golden retriever. Bess is more than just photogenic. She's the emotional bridge for Ellie, Milly's 6-year-old German shepherd who had suffered years of abuse under a backyard breeder. When Ellie arrived at the family's home in 2024, she had endured multiple litters and was emotionally struggling. "Ellie would howl and cry every time she saw a puppy, so we decided she needed one of her own. We began searching through the local shelter websites and came across Bess' litter in April of 2025," Milly, who didn't give a surname, told Newsweek. Pictures of Bess, the unusual mixed breed who often gets mistaken for a designer dog. Pictures of Bess, the unusual mixed breed who often gets mistaken for a designer dog. OhioIsForCats/Reddit Bess and her litter were born at our local Humane Society and were featured at an adoption event in May. They didn't last long as her entire litter was adopted out within 30 minutes. "We knew from the website that she was a retriever mix, and the coloring showed she was likely some type of husky as well," Milly said. "We did a doggy DNA swab and found that she is 50 percent golden retriever with the rest being mostly Siberian husky and a little border collie, as well." In the comments on Reddit, people couldn't get enough of Bess' unusual looks. "Wow! She's gorgeous!!! Those markings and that face," said one commenter. While another said: "So cute. 50 percent golden, 50 percent husky, 110 percent shedding machine." Beyond the aesthetics, Bess is a sweet soul. She's already mastered five speech buttons to communicate with her humans—and has a penchant for full-body tail wags any time she spots someone new. "She's too cute not to share. The reactions online were very similar to what we see in-person: absolute gushing over her cuteness," Milly said. "It's lovely to see how much people love Bess. She is not only a beautiful puppy, but she is so sweet and smart, too." This isn't the first time a rare dog breed mix has impressed people online. A half basset hound and half English bulldog captured viral attention previously on Reddit, while another unusual breed mix left people guessing after the owner shared pictures on the internet. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.


New York Post
16 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson reveals late father Phil Robertson's final message
'Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson revealed the final message that his late father shared with their family before his death. In May, Phil Robertson, famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show, died at the age of 79. The 'Duck Dynasty' family patriarch had previously battled multiple health conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. 'Phil had been struggling with Alzheimer's for a while,' Willie, 53, said. 'It was on our mind for sure, his condition. It's part of life.' He continued, 'Phil had such a strong faith. He told us before, 'Do not cry at my funeral. I know where I'm going.'' 'What a life he lived,' Willie added. 'We heard that from thousands of people, the people he impacted. Phil would have wanted us to do exactly what we're doing. Whatever is a reflection of that faith, and our show is a reflection of our faith.' 'Not overtly. We're not trying to preach to people or convert people, but I think you can see the fruit in the faith of our show and our family and how it sticks together through good times and bad. That's why we are on this earth. As we move on, I think it's a reminder to all of us the time will come. I hope I have a funeral like that where people feel that way about me as well.' Phil, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December, passed away during the same week that his family's new show 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' premiered. Though Phil did not participate in 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' due to his health issues, the series' first episode included a tribute to him. 6 Willie Robertson shared his late father Phil's final message to his family before his death. Instagram The video begins with footage of Willie reading an introduction for the show off his laptop to Phil, who was seen sitting in an armchair. 'So ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Only one will earn the bandana, so let the games begin. What do you think, Phil?' Willie asked. Phil replied by giving his son a big thumbs-up. The scene faded to black as a photo of Phil appeared alongside the in-memoriam tribute. 'Ah, that was awesome!' Willie was heard saying in response to his father's gesture in the background of the tribute. 6 Phil Robertson died on May 25, 2025. Willie's wife Korie, who joined him for the interview, told TV Insider that the timing of Phil's death was 'a little surreal.' 'It was really special to our family that we had that one little clip,' she said. 'When filming this time around, he was already in the throes of Alzheimer's, so he wasn't able to be part of the show. We did film that one little thing where he gave Willie the thumbs up.' 'It was really special because, for our family, it felt like, 'OK, this is his opportunity to pass on the torch to us,'' she continued. 'It's funny to see the comments [from fans] who are like, 'The next generation are yuppies. They aren't passing things on.' 6 Phil was famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show. Art Streiber 'But we are passing on Phil's legacy because his legacy was first about faith,' she said. 'His whole motto was faith, family, ducks, in that order. His first was faith. All our kids are living that out in really beautiful ways and family.' 'That's what this show is about,' Korie added. 'It's about family, inner-generational family living life together and what that might look like. And then ducks. We're still running Duck Commander, the business he started from the duck call he invented years and years ago. That has been really special to carry that legacy on now after his passing.' Phil founded Duck Commander in 1972. The 'Duck Dynasty' television show premiered 40 years later, in 2012, before it ended in 2017. 6 The reality television star died during the same week that his family's new show, 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival,' premiered. Jason Kempin During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Willie and Korie explained how they were coping after losing Phil and how they were touched by the outpouring of support that they received from fans. 'I think it's a combination of some sadness, just we miss him, but also joy and happiness from what he believed and where he was going and all the things he was able to accomplish in his life,' Willie said. 'And so many people that he helped and we were reminded of that at his passing. And just so many people just flooded us with messages of how he had helped change their life, either directly or indirectly through the show or through the podcast or books he has written.' 6 President Donald Trump laughs with Willie Robertson and Phil Robertson, the family patriarch, at a campaign rally in Monroe, La., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. AP While Willie shared that it was 'tragic' watching his father suffer during his battle with Alzheimer's, he said it helped prepare the family for his passing. 'You're ready,' he said. 'We knew, he's ready to move on and so yeah, it's kind of mixed. But there was really more joy.' 'Phil pre-warned us,' he added. 'We told a lot of funny stories and just brought back all those fun memories,' Korie chimed in. 'It's a little bit the Robertson way. Even in the hard things, we laugh a lot through it.' 6 Phil's wife, Kay, previously spoke out about how the couple struggled during the early years of their marriage. Phil Robertson / Facebook Korie said they hoped future generations would be inspired by Phil's dedication to his faith and how it transformed his life. 'Just in passing down that legacy — one of the things that we've just been reminded of over and over again is just this man who lived down on the river, didn't own a cell phone or a computer — what God did with his life. Because he was just truly passionately sold out for Jesus,' she said. Korie continued, 'And so I think for all of us, it's brought even more of a boldness to our faith to say like, 'Hey, we follow Jesus, and that's who we are.' And if you want to know more about it, come talk to us because it's brought a full life.' 'And a changed life,' Willie added. 'There would never have been a 'Duck Dynasty' show. There wouldn't have been company had his life not changed. This family would not have stayed together.' Phil's wife Kay, 77, has previously spoken out about how the couple faced marital struggles in the early years of their union due to Phil's alcoholism and infidelity before he committed to his faith. The pair, who married in 1966, had four sons including Willie, Alan, 59, Jase, 55 and Jep, 47, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 'It's all responsible to his faith and his life change, of he and mom together to keep this family together,' he said. 'And now we're seeing so much fruit of that.'

19 hours ago
Vandals set fire to a mouse statue that's a TV star and mascot for a German broadcaster
BERLIN -- Vandals set fire to a mouse statue that's a TV star and mascot for children's programming at German broadcaster WDR, the television station said Saturday. The cartoon mouse, known only as 'Die Maus,' is the eponymous star of 'Die Sendung mit der Maus' (The Show with the Mouse) since it first aired in West Germany in 1971. Each short episode features other languages and educational segments. The statue — featuring the character's famous orange body with brown ears, arms and legs — greets families and children outside a media building in Cologne, Germany. A receptionist for WDR saw several young people standing around the statue in Cologne on a camera feed overnight Friday into Saturday. She then noticed flames and called the fire department, WDR said. The fire blackened parts of the mouse's face and arm, images show. The station said a police complaint had been filed against an unidentified person. Matthias Körnich, head of children's programming for WDR, said it's not just a figurine that was damaged. 'A piece of childhood, a symbol of joy and togetherness has been attacked,' he said. 'The mouse belongs to Cologne.' The mouse statue isn't the first German TV character to be attacked. In 2009, the statue of a depressed German loaf of bread named Bernd das Brot (Bernd the Bread) was stolen from his traditional place outside the town hall in Erfurt, where German children's public television channel KiKA is based. Bernd, a cult classic in Germany, was held hostage for nearly two weeks before being discovered unharmed in an abandoned barracks.