Man close to Gene Hackman makes heartbreaking admission about dog that died next to actor's wife

A close pal of the late Gene Hackman has shared heartbreaking details about the dog that was found dead alongside the couple.

The showbiz world has been left reeling by the mysterious death of the Bonnie and Clyde actor, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

The couple were found partially ‘mummified' at their Santa Fe mansion on 26 February, while Hackman’s pacemaker indicated that his heart beat for the last time nine days prior.

The actor's daughter Elizabeth Jea initially suggested that the couple - who got married in 1991 - may have passed away as a result of a carbon monoxide leak.

However, a local gas company has since said they made ‘no significant findings’ or any evidence to support this theory after inspecting the property, although there was a 'miniscule' leak.

Investigators have been working tirelessly to try and establish what happened to Hackman and Arakawa, but police did admit they made a blunder when assessing the scene.

The actor and the classically trained pianist were found dead at their Santa Fe home (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

The two-time Oscar winner, known for his roles in Superman and Mississippi Burning, was found deceased alongside his classical pianist wife and one of their dogs.

The couple had three pets - a German shepherd named Bear, an Akita-shepherd mix named Nikita and an Australian Kelpie mixed breed called Zinna.

Zinna was sadly found dead inside the New Mexico property, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson, who explained the 12-year-old animal was discovered in a kennel in a bathroom closet.

This is said to have been situated close to where Arakawa's body was.

Joey Padilla owns dog boarding and training facility Santa Fe Tails pet care, where Hackman and Arakawa regularly dropped their animals off.

According to Padilla, the pet which passed away was 'always attached at the hip' to Arakawa and the pair shared a 'beautiful relationship'.

The couple were described as 'true animal lovers' (Facebook)

He told the Associated Press: "Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand."

The surviving dogs are currently in the care of Padilla, who described them as 'Betsy's babies'.

"I will be holding on to them until I get word on what Betsy's wishes for these dogs are," he told ABC News.

Although Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths are not being treated as suspicious, authorities said the case was 'suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation'.

The couple were described as 'true animal lovers' by their friends, who told the Daily Mail they treated their pets 'as if they were their own children'.