Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa's final autopsy report comes to light

The final report of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s autopsy has been revealed.

As per the final autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE magazine on Sunday, April 27, the 95-year-old Hollywood actor’s 65-year-old wife Arakawa succumbed to hantavirus ahead of his death, which was caused by hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Hackman, who was found lifeless along with his wife of more than 30 years in their residence located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26, 2025, also had Alzheimer's disease, which significantly contributed to his death.

Per the opinion of the medical investigator's office, the examination of Hackman's brain "showed microscopic findings of advanced stage Alzheimer's disease,” and he "succumbed to natural disease subsequent to the demise of" Arakawa.

Moreover, the postmortem examination of Arakawa found that hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was the reason for her death.

Notably, it was previously revealed that the flu-like virus claimed her life a week before the Superman star’s demise and he was seemingly alone at their home with his dead wife for days.

Arakawa also searched for her symptoms online to see if they were related to the flu or COVID-19; however, her autopsy clarified that she "was negative for COVID-19 and influenza” when a sab test was conducted.

It is pertinent to mention that Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s autopsy had been completed a day after the couple was tragically found dead.

However, new Mexico's chief medical examiner, Heather Jarrell, confirmed the details of their deaths on Friday, March 7, 2025.