Gene Hackman made rare public appearance with wife Betsy Arakawa last year as pair are found dead at home

Gene Hackman was spotted in public with his wife Betsy Arakawa for the first time in two decades last year before news of their death emerged.

The Superman actor, 95, and Arakawa, 63, were found dead, alongside their dog, at their residence in New Mexico on 26 February.

"We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail," Santa Fe County said in a statement.

"This is an active investigation - however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor."

Gene Hackman made rare public appearance in March 2024

Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead at their residence in New Mexico yesterday (SplashNews.com)

Hackman and his wife made their first public appearance together in 21 years last March.

Pictures show the pair, who have been married since 1991, leaving a Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The two-time Oscar winner was seen holding on to his wife's arm while using his other hand to lean on his cane.

According to reports, the Royal Tenenbaums actor first met Arakawa, originally from Hawaii, at a fitness centre in LA, where she worked part-time. They started dating in 1984.

Hackman divorced his first wife Faye Maltese, whom he married in 1956, in 1986.

They shared children Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean and Christopher Allen.

Hackman retired from acting in 2004

Gene Hackman Betsy Arakawa pictured during The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2003 (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

The movie star, known for his roles in Mississippi Burning and Behind Enemy Lines, pretty much left the spotlight after retiring from acting in 2004 due to health complications.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” the actor explained to Empire in 2009.

“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”

Throughout his career, Hackman appeared in 79 feature films from 1961 to 2004.

During that period, the celebrated actor won two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild award.

The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola has been leading the tributes, having worked with Hackman on The Conversation in 1974.

"The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution," he said.

LADbible Group has contacted Hackman's representatives and Santa Fe County Police for comment.