On February 26, the bodies of the two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his spouse, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, were discovered. Hackman designated Arakawa Hackman as the only trustee and beneficiary of his inheritance. Since it was discovered that Gene Hackman’s will doesn’t include his three adult children, the future of his enormous estate is in doubt.
It was on Wednesday, February 26, that the bodies of the Oscar winner and his wife were discovered at their Santa Fe, New Mexico, residence. The cause of death and the other details associated with it shook the internet.
In a stunning twist following the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, the late actor’s $80 million fortune is allegedly not going to his children.
Source: Reuters | #Hollywood #Death #GeneHackman pic.twitter.com/onKfQuF2gU
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 16, 2025
Entertainment Weekly was able to get paperwork that shows that Hackman designated Arakawa Hackman as his agent, successor trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust, and sole beneficiary of his fortune. Arakawa Hackman was defined as the only heir to Hackman’s trust and estate, despite the fact that his three children—Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie—are listed in the will.
Hackman’s first wife, Fay Maltese, whom he married in 1956 and divorced in 1986, was the mother of his three children. Hackman married Arakawa, a musician and furniture salesman from Santa Fe, in 1991.
In 1995, Hackman named Arakawa Hackman the Successor Trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust, transferring the remaining portion of their GeBe Revocable Trust to her, according to court documents that EW was able to obtain. As stated explicitly in the will dated June 7, 2005, “I give my entire estate to Betsy Arakawa Hackman.”
In addition, Hackman had designated Michael G. Sutin, his former lawyer, as his representative in the event that Arakawa Hackman passed away. However, according to a March 6 court filing, Sutin passed away in 2019. Therefore, his successor, lawyer Julia L. Peters, is now in charge.
Alzheimer’s illness was a major contributing cause to Hackman’s heart disease death. Meanwhile, Arakawa Hackman passed away from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome a few days prior.
According to Arakawa Hackman’s will, which EW was able to get, she had no children or surviving relatives. Sutin and Peters were named as her successors, and Hackman was named as her representative.
Meet Gene Hackman’s children: Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie
Gene Hackman has three children: Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie. pic.twitter.com/t2PXIOqDrt
— Joseph Spirko (@weike20650697) February 27, 2025
In the event that she passes away, her estate, which was signed on the same day as Hackman’s, will be transferred to the Gene Hackman Living Trust. The estate will be administered to a charitable trust to carry out “purposes beneficial to the community, consistent with the charitable preferences and interests expressed or indicated by my spouse and me during our lifetimes,” provided Hackman does not outlive Arakawa by ninety days.
Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie are listed as Hackman’s heirs in Peters’ most recent court documents. As Arakawa Hackman’s closest surviving family members, the children may now attempt to inherit the estate.
