Gene Hackman’s daughter said the legendary actor was in “good” health before he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead with their dog in their New Mexico home on Wednesday.
“Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,” Leslie Hackman told the Daily Mail on Thursday.
“He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So, he was in good health.”
However, Leslie, 58, admitted she didn’t find Gene’s death “terribly shocking” because he was 95 years old. Meanwhile, Arakawa was 64.
The youngest child of the “Unforgiven” star described her relationship with her late father as “close” — despite not having seen him in a couple months because she lives in California.
“Everything was normal and everything was good,” she added.
While Gene was purportedly healthy, Leslie told Us Weekly that “his memory was fading.”
“He recently had a birthday and apparently his wife had to remind [him] three times it was his birthday,” she said.
A cause of death for Gene and Arakawa has not yet been revealed, but Leslie told Us Weekly she’s “very anxious to find out what happened.”
The couple is believed to have been dead for at least a day before their bodies were found.
Leslie confirmed that a neighbor called the police after they hadn’t heard from Arakawa “in a couple weeks.”
“There was one dog inside the house [deceased] and one or two loose [dogs] inside the yard, so they called the police to do a welfare check,” she said.
Leslie speculated that the couple’s deaths may have been due to carbon monoxide poisoning, though there were “no obvious signs of a gas leak.”
Gene was reportedly found near the kitchen, while Arakawa was discovered in the bathroom surrounded by “scattered” prescription pills — with the deceased dog lying feet away.
Leslie said the deaths were “very strange” as the pair “never” had an issue at their home.
“I much would have rather my dad pass peacefully, but hopefully if it was carbon monoxide poisoning [there was] no suffering with that. That’s my main concern,” she added.
A search warrant obtained by TMZ revealed that the deaths have been labeled “suspicious” despite authorities previously saying there was “no foul play.”
On Thursday, Leslie and her sister, Elizabeth, 63, confirmed Gene and Arakawa’s death in a statement to Page Six.
Gene shared Leslie, Elizabeth and son Christopher, 65, with his first wife, Faye Maltese, whom he was married to from 1956 to 1986.
He tied the knot with Arakawa in 1991.
