For weeks, the causes behind the deaths of Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have been shrouded in mystery. Some initially believed carbon monoxide poisoning to be the culprit, while other theories went as far as to consider suicide a possibility. However, New Mexico officials have finally discovered how the actor, 95, and his partner, 65, died. Arakawa died first from a rare disease called hantavirus, and Hackman died an entire week later from heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
For those unaware, hantavirus is a very rare yet dangerous virus transmitted by mice and has a 42% fatality rate, according to the state public health veterinarian. As for Hackman, he died of natural causes, with his pacemaker registering abnormal cardiac activity On February 18, a week after Arakawa allegedly died from the virus. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator’s chief medical examiner reported that Hackman was “in a very poor state of health.” She stated that his death was due to “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor.”
Based on these recent news reports, a shared theory from multiple subreddits deduces that Arakawa, the younger of the two, was Hackman’s primary caretaker, seeing how the 95-year-old had heart problems and severe Alzheimer’s. However, once she collapsed and died from the hantavirus, he was unable to care for himself and likely wandered the house, unable to comprehend the situation due to his highly deteriorated mental state. Without someone to feed him or help give him his medication, he eventually died as well. The horrifying bit is that he likely roamed the house in this tragic state for a week before his heart failed him.
“This story keeps getting more heartbreaking,” mourns a sad fan, with others stating how they “wish they knew less” about the tragic causes behind Hackman and his wife’s deaths. “Death is always sad, but this one(s) certainly had extra sad twists,” chimes in another. Others agreed, remarking how it would have been better if the two died from carbon monoxide. As gruesome as that sounds, it might have been a more merciful death of sorts.
“People really don’t seem to understand how bad Alzheimer’s can be,” comments another Redditor. “He was too far gone to take care of himself; that would explain why he didn’t do anything and also why he died without anyone else around,” mentions a second. Despite both deaths falling under ‘natural causes’ and no foul play, hundreds of commenters collectively agree that this story is such a terrible way for the actor and his wife to go.
In summary, Arakawa died, leaving her husband, who didn’t have the means to care for himself. Due to his Alzheimer’s, he couldn’t do anything but die slowly for a week before his heart failed him. This tragic story will doubtless leave countless fans and readers in a downhearted state. However, hopefully, it’ll compel those with elderly family members or relatives suffering from mental diseases to check on their loved ones regularly and ensure they’re properly cared for.
