In Gene Hackman's home town, sadness and unease are mixed with bafflement

As New Mexico authorities investigate the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, their adopted home town of Santa Fe is grappling with the mystery of what happened to the couple.

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Hackman, a Hollywood legend with two Academy Awards over a 60-year career, and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had lived in the area for decades and had embraced the close-knit community that is New Mexico's capital city.

Their deaths at the ages of 95 and 63 respectively sent shock waves through the area, which is famous for its vibrant art scene, adobe buildings and bright blue skies.

"Everybody is really sad - we hold on to our community here," Nedret Gürler, a Santa Fe resident for more than three decades, said inside the rug store she works in downtown. "There's so much sadness in our world and this felt like another bright light dimmed."

The circumstances around the couple's deaths have made people uneasy, she said: "There's something wrong about it. We all want answers."

Those answers may take a while to emerge. The couple were found last Wednesday afternoon after a maintenance worker, concerned when no one answered the door, contacted neighbourhood security, who spotted their bodies through a window and called the police.

One of their three dogs was also found dead. They had been dead for "quite a while" before they were found, according to the Santa Fe county sheriff, Adan Mendoza.

They both appeared to have suddenly fallen to the floor in different areas of the house, officials say.

Hackman was found near a doorway with a walking stick nearby, while Arakawa was found in a bathroom with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a nearby countertop.