Bruce Willis' wife speaks up for carers after death of Hackman

Emma Heming Willis, the primary carer for her husband, the actor Bruce Willis, who has a rare form of dementia, has issued a statement in the wake of the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.

- Catherine Shoard

An investigation by local authorities in New Mexico concluded last week that Arakawa, 65, died of a rare respiratory disease about seven days before her husband, meaning it was likely the actor spent a week by himself, disoriented and increasingly malnourished.

His Alzheimer's disease led investigators to suspect he may have remained unaware that his wife had died, and was evidently unable to summon help. Hackman, 95, was eventually found near the entrance to their home in Santa Fe, apparently after suffering a fall.