Inside Gene Hackman's 'tough' relationship with three children

Gene Hackman, Hollywood veteran and father of three, was found dead in his Santa Fe home on Wednesday, alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa. 

Their deaths are not being treated as suspicious, yet an investigation is underway with toxicology test results pending. A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said: "In the early hours of Thursday, February 27 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI).

"An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual."

The deceased actor's daughter, Leslie, shared that he had been in good health during their last visit.

"Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition," she told the Daily Mail.

"He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health." She added that his passing was "not terribly shocking because he was 95."

Leslie and her siblings will work with police as they investigate Gene and Betsy's death, she revealed. "We need to wait and find out whatever information from the police. We weren't expecting to have to go out there and go through the house and all that," she said. 

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Leslie, 58, is The Conversation actor's youngest child, whom he shared with his first wife, Faye Maltese. They also welcomed Christopher, 65, and Elizabeth, 63. Faye and Gene parted ways in 1986, and he went on to find love again with Betsy, a classical pianist.

His daughter expressed grief over her stepmother Betsy's passing as well, revealing that they had a "wonderful marriage".

"I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive," she said. "[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. So I am appreciative to her for that, and I'm very saddened by her passing."

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Growing up as the child of the legendary actor was not easy, as Gene would travel for months at a time without seeing his family.

The fivesome lived in a small New York apartment with no hot water while he tried to break onto the Hollywood scene, until the Superman star found success; however, fame and fortune meant leaving his kids behind.

"You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down," he confessed to The New York Times.

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"Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn't able to handle that."

Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie would occasionally join their father at awards shows or film premieres; however, they mostly chose to avoid the spotlight. 

"It's tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity," Gene admitted to the Irish Independent. "I couldn't always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they've had my success always hanging over their heads."

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As Faye shouldered the majority of the parenting, the Oscar winner found it difficult to slot back into his family dynamic after projects had wrapped. 

"I didn't handle it very well, really. I took care of my family. You know, my family's never wanted for anything," he told Larry King. 

"But because I was so enamored of the Hollywood of old, you know, the glamour of that, although I never involved myself in that, I was really...taken with that, and the fact that I was part of that."

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He continued: "And that I was – I could be anything and anyone I wanted to be. It was a long time before I settled down before I got to the point where I could discern what was really right for me."

Leslie, Elizabeth, and Gene's granddaughter Annie released a combined statement sharing the news of his death on Thursday. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy," they wrote.

"He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."