Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home, but even more mysterious details about their final months are now emerging. The iconic actor and his spouse may have been the targets of a stalker before their tragic deaths in February 2025, with reports suggesting that she was scared of being “followed home.”
At a glance:
• Gene Hackman died from heart disease complicated by advanced Alzheimer’s disease
• Betsy Arakawa died approximately one week earlier from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• Betsy confided in her hairstylist about being followed by a mysterious man on multiple occasions
• The stalker approached the couple with a folder of photos seeking autographs and offered them wine
• The Hackman estate secured a temporary restraining order preventing the release of death scene footage and autopsy reports
Stalking Concerns Before The Tragedy
Just when you thought the deaths of Gene and Betsy Hackman couldn’t get any weirder, new reports reveal how the couple may have been stalked in the months before their deaths. Betsy had expressed concerns to her hairstylist Christopher about a mysterious man who appeared to be following the couple, a chilling detail that adds another layer to this Hollywood tragedy.
According to Christopher, Betsy had shared troubling encounters with an unidentified man who had tracked their movements.
“She mentioned to me that there was a man that had parked outside of their gate and followed them,” Christopher revealed, noting that this occurred on at least two separate occasions.
The situation became even more concerning when Betsy described how the man had managed to bypass their gated community’s security. “She said, ‘Christopher, I’m surprised that security didn’t [know] how he got there… because when we left, I noticed that this car had followed us from the residence to White Rock’,” Christopher recounted from his conversations with Betsy.
Unsettling Encounters With The Mystery Man
In one particularly disturbing incident, Betsy confronted the man who had been following them. The stranger had a folder containing photographs of Gene Hackman and was seeking autographs, demonstrating an unsettling level of preparation and interest in the retired actor.
Christopher expressed his alarm when Betsy told him about confronting the stalker. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh, Betsy, that’s crazy. You should not have approached this person. This makes me nervous’,” he stated, adding, “He knew what [they] drove. That’s the scary part.”
The hairstylist noted how unusual such attention was in their quiet community. “And I said, we were sitting here and I said, ‘That’s so weird because Santa Fe’s not a place of paparazzi and stuff’,” Christopher recalled telling Betsy, highlighting how out of place such stalking behavior was in their area.
In another encounter, the same man reportedly followed the couple to another location and offered them a bottle of wine. The Hackmans wisely declined the suspicious gift, adding another concerning element to the pattern of unwanted attention they were receiving in their final months.
Privacy Battles Continue After Death
When authorities discovered the bodies of Gene and Betsy Hackman on February 26, 2025, they had not been seen for weeks. Police bodycam footage showed deputies investigating the scene, finding no signs of forced entry or immediately suspicious circumstances.
Even after their deaths, the Hackmans’ desire for privacy continues through legal action by their estate. Kurt Sommer, a lawyer representing the Hackman estate, filed a petition to prevent the release of footage and records related to their deaths, successfully securing a temporary restraining order.
The legal petition cited precedent in the case of Kurt Cobain’s death scene photographs, arguing for the couple’s continued right to privacy. “Undersigned counsel cannot think of respective harm that would come to the State and County offices from respecting the discretion of Mr. Hackman’s and Mrs. Hackman-Arakawa’s right to privacy,” Sommer stated in court documents.
Medical examiners determined that Gene Hackman died from heart disease complicated by advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
But now we know she was being followed…it raises questions that investigators may need to start looking into.
