Autopsy confirms Gene Hackman's wife died from hantavirus
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and showed no signs of trauma, the autopsy report said. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
Arakawa's autopsy and toxicology reports were released two days after similar documents on Hackman's death were made public, confirming his main cause of death was heart disease.
The 95-year-old actor also was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to his autopsy. He tested negative for hantavirus.
Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
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Edmonton Journal
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Autopsy confirms Gene Hackman's wife died from hantavirus
Article content Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings. Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and showed no signs of trauma, the autopsy report said. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs. Arakawa's autopsy and toxicology reports were released two days after similar documents on Hackman's death were made public, confirming his main cause of death was heart disease. The 95-year-old actor also was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to his autopsy. He tested negative for hantavirus. Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Betsy Arakawa, the concert pianist who was married to actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday that said that her lungs were heavy and congested. Arakawa, 65, had fluid accumulation in her chest and mild hardening of the vessels that supplied blood to the heart and body, according to the autopsy reports Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings. Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and showed no signs of trauma, the autopsy report said. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs. Arakawa's autopsy and toxicology reports were released two days after similar documents on Hackman's death were made public, confirming his main cause of death was heart disease. The 95-year-old actor also was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to his autopsy. He tested negative for hantavirus. Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa. Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman's home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa's laptop and other clues.
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Autopsy confirms Gene Hackman died from heart disease, notes his Alzheimer's and prolonged fasting
The main cause of Gene Hackman's death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to a new autopsy report. The report documents the 95-year-old actor's poor heart health, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019. Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their New Mexico home in February. Hackman's carbon monoxide concentration was less than five per cent saturation, which is within the normal range. He tested negative for the hantavirus, which is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings. Authorities have said Arakawa likely died in the home on Feb. 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Her autopsy report hasn't yet been released. WATCH | Gene Hackman likely died a week after his wife's death, investigators say: Gene Hackman died of heart disease 1 week after wife died of hantavirus 2 months ago Duration 2:49 U.S. investigators say Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman likely died of heart disease one week after his wife Betsy Arakawa died of hantavirus in a separate room in their New Mexico home. Police say Hackman's dementia was a likely contributor to his death. A toxicology report says Hackman tested negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs, but that he had a low concentration of acetone in his system that indicates prolonged fasting. Hackman appeared to have outlived Arakawa by about a week, and may have been unaware that she had died. His pacemaker showed an abnormal heart rhythm on Feb. 18 — the day he likely died, according to the state's chief medical examiner. The couple's bodies weren't discovered until Feb. 26. Hackman was found near his cane in the entryway, and Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor. Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa had made phone calls and scoured the internet, searching for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques. Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa. Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman's home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa's laptop and other clues.
