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Legendary actor Gene Hackman's children were reportedly left out of his will, TMZ reports.
Hackman, 95, made his wife, Betsy Arakawa, the sole beneficiary of his fortune in 1995, leaving out his son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth. Arakawa, 65, who is suspected to have died one week before her husband, had also reportedly listed Hackman as the sole beneficiary in her own will and documents allegedly show that her savings would be donated to charity if both died within 90 days of each other.
Awakawa's estate could still go to charity as New Mexico is a community property state while Hackman's estate could presumably go to his children, despite not being included in his will, as they are the most direct living heirs. Hackman's son, Christopher, the oldest of his three adult children, reportedly hired prominent California trust and estate attorney Andrew M. Katzenstein to challenge the will, according to TMZ.
Hackman was reported to have died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's as a factor, while Arakawa was reported to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, New Mexico State Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell confirmed. Betsy is suspected to have died first as all outgoing communication from her cellphone and email ceased on February 11, the last day she was spotted publicly, while Gene is suspected to have died on February 18, as it was the last day his pacemaker registered data, though Dr. Gerald specified that there was no reliable scientific method to determine an exact time for either death.
The couple's dog, Zinna, was found dead inside a locked crate by first responders, while two others were reported to have wandered the property for days and guided first responders to the legendary actor. Officials reiterated that foul play was not suspected in Hackman and Arakawa's deaths and the scene was tested for carbon monoxide, with only a minute leak found that was deemed to be insignificant.
Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner, and his wife were married for 34 years. Police reportedly found the couple at around 1:45 p.m. local time on February 26. Hackman's legendary acting career spanned more than 60 years, providing an everyman believability to numerous iconic roles, including playing Jimmy Doyle in The French Connection (1971) and Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven (1992), which won him the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
The California native was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for roles in Bonnie & Clyde (1968) and I Never Sang for My Father (1971), as well as Best Actor for Mississippi Burning (1989). Hackman is also remembered for playing arch villain Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), as well as Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers (1986) and Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) among numerous other iconic roles.