Gene Hackman’s $80 Million Estate Faces Uncertainty After His and Wife’s Deaths

The actor’s will named his wife as sole heir, but her earlier death complicates the estate's succession.

Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found deceased at their Santa Fe ranch in February; Hackman died from heart disease with Alzheimer's as a contributing factor, while Arakawa passed from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Hackman’s will, dated 2005, named Arakawa as the sole beneficiary of his estate and trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust, but her earlier death raises questions about the estate's next heirs.
Court filings indicate Hackman’s three adult children, from his first marriage, are now the closest living relatives and potential heirs to his estate.
Arakawa’s will directed her estate to the Gene Hackman Living Trust, with a charitable trust as a secondary option if Hackman did not survive her by 90 days.
Hackman’s estate, valued at approximately $80 million, includes provisions for charitable contributions, reflecting the couple’s shared philanthropic interests.