Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s Graves Receive Plaques Over a Year After Their Deaths

More than a year after Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside their Santa Fe home, the National Enquirer can confirm that the couple’s graves have finally been marked with headstones.

Hackman’s plaque describes the Oscar winner as a “Husband, Father, Artist,” while Arakawa’s remembers her as a “Beloved Wife, A Beautiful Soul.”

As the National Enquirer previously reported, the pair’s graves were initially only marked by a conch shell. At the time, Hackman’s three adult children – Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie – were involved in an ongoing dispute regarding his estate. The graves remained unmarked as the legal battle played out.

Earlier this year, Page Six reported that the case remains ongoing.

The Hoosiers star and Arakawa were found dead after a welfare check on February 26, 2025. At first, there was speculation they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning, a gas leak or foul play. Investigators ultimately ruled those theories out after determining there were no signs of foul play and both tested negative for carbon monoxide.

It was also determined that Arakawa died first with officials estimating she passed between February 11-12, 2025, around a week before Hackman died. According to ABC News, Hackman’s cause of death was heart disease and Alzheimer’s, while Arakawa died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare disease that’s contracted through exposure to infected rodents.

NPR reported that in the days before her death, Arakawa had searched for medical conditions relating to Covid-19 and flu-like symptoms. While the Crimson Tide actor passed days after his wife, investigators said that his advanced Alzheimer’s may have caused him to not understand Arakawa had died or he wasn’t able to seek help.