Hackman found dead with his wife at home in Santa Fe

The Oscar-winning star of 'The French Connection' was 95

- JACOB STOLWORTHY

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman has been found dead in his New Mexico home along with his wife and a dog, according to investigators who said the couple appeared to have been dead for some time.

Clint Eastwood and Bill Murray were among those who paid tribute to the 95-year-old actor after his death was confirmed yesterday. Director Francis Ford Coppola said he was “inspiring and magnificent”.

Hackman’s body was found in one room while his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said. There was an open prescription bottle, and pills were scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.

In an affidavit, New Mexico authorities said the situation was “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”. However, there was no indication that any of the deceased had been shot or suffered other types of wounds. The local gas company is helping with the investigation, but tests of gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered found no signs of a leak.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe county sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed just after midnight yesterday that the couple had been found dead on Wednesday afternoon. The sheriff did not speculate on their cause of death, which has not yet been determined.