Hollywood legend Gene Hackman was found dead at 95 alongside his wife and dog in his New Mexico home on Feb. 26 in an incident that is being investigated by authorities.
After a neighbor called police at about 1:45 p.m. to conduct a welfare check on Hackman, the Oscar-winning star of classic films like “The French Connection” and “Hoosiers” was found dead by authorities along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 64, and their dog at their home in Santa Fe, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told NBC affiliate KOB.
“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however exact cause of death has not been determined,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement to NBC News.
Authorities said an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the couple, who had been married since 1991. The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were not formally identified until 12:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. ET) on Feb. 27, the sheriff’s office said.
While Hackman’s cause of death is still unknown, “The Conversation” star did talk about various health issues over the years, including one that caused him to retire from acting.
Here’s what Hackman has shared during the course of his career and retirement.
Hackman had an angioplasty in 1990
In a prolific year in which he appeared in the 1990 movies “Loose Cannons,” “Postcards from the Edge” and “Narrow Margin,” Hackman also had a procedure to avoid a heart attack.
Hackman, who was 60 at the time, underwent an angioplasty in which a balloon-catheter was inserted to unblock an artery to his heart, according to a 1990 report by the news agency United Press International.
“We got him just in the nick of time,” Dr. Herbert Semler told UPI. “Fortunately for him, it was in a very excellent area that we could easily reach with a balloon catheter and dilate it.”
Hackman had been experiencing chest pains that then went down one of his arms while on vacation in Oregon. Doctors said he was within hours of experiencing a heart attack, according to UPI.
Hemler told UPI that Hackman had no prior heart issues up to that point, and the narrowing of the artery that required the angioplasty was part of the aging process.
Hackman also spoke about the angioplasty in a 2004 interview with talk show host Larry King on CNN. King asked him if he was scared about undergoing the procedure.
“No, not really. I didn’t really know the extent of it at the time, I guess that’s why,” Hackman said. “It happened very quickly. I was in the same day.”
Hackman was then asked if he had any fears about his health.
“I try to take care of myself,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of fears. I have the normal fear of passing away. You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age. I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.”
Hackman retired from acting in 2004 due to heart issues
The legendary actor’s final movie was the comedy “Welcome to Mooseport” with Ray Romano in 2004.
In his interview with King later that year, Hackman said he had no future projects lined up.
“It’s probably all over,” Hackman said. “This is it.”
In a 2008 interview, he confirmed his retirement to Reuters: “I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer. I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
Hackman then shared in a 2009 interview with Empire that a big reason he retired from acting was his health.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress,” Hackman said.
He told the outlet that he enjoyed writing, fishing, painting and watching low-budget films with his wife in his retirement in New Mexico. He wrote three historical fiction novels with archaeologist Daniel Lenihan as well as Westerns and police thrillers on his own.
“It’s a different kind of stress,” he said about writing. “It’s one you can kind of manage, because you’re sitting there by yourself, as opposed to having 90 people sitting around waiting for you to entertain them!”
He was hit by a car riding a bike in 2012
In addition to his heart issues, Hackman suffered injuries when he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Islamorada, Florida, in 2012, the Florida Highway Patrol told CNN.
Hackman, who was 81 at the time, was not wearing a helmet when a pickup truck struck the rear tire of his bike. He was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, according to the highway patrol.
Hackman’s spokeswoman told Reuters he was just bumped by the truck and the only reason he was airlifted was because he was on an island.
She said he only ended up with “a couple minor bumps and bruises” and was released from the hospital after routine tests.
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