Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa's love for pets comes to light

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, are being remembered as devoted pet lovers and a deeply caring couple after their tragic passing with their beloved dog.

For the unversed, Hollywood legend, his partner, Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

As per the statement of the Santa Fe County Sheriff, the 95-year-old actor had been dead for nine days before he and Arakawa were found.

Now speaking to PEOPLE, Hackman’s friend Daniel Lenihan, his wife, Barbara Lenihan, and their son, Aaron Lenihan, revealed that the deceased couple was “very responsible” pet owners.

Aaron said they “always had German shepherd rescues” and were “really good to their dogs and very responsible dog owners.”

He went on to share that his family had been friends with Hackman and Arakawa since the early ‘90s but didn’t know where the couple’s other two dogs were.

“Yeah, I know it's something that they would be concerned about, and yeah, we don't know,” Aaron added.

The Lenihans went on to quip that the Superman star and Arakawa were in good health, saying, “Betsy tried to keep him kind of active and engaged, but they'd do puzzles. They'd do puzzles, and I know that he did.”

“I think he did yoga daily, I think it might've been via Zoom. She was very protective of him in terms of COVID, so she'd always wear a mask when we'd see her out, but she was still trying to keep him as active and engaged and healthy as possible,” they noted.

“I mean, honestly, they were one of the tightest couples I've seen. They seemed like real life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real,” the Lenihans concluded.