Causes of Death
Official causes of death have been issued for actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
After initial confusion about whether or not their deaths were suspicious, autopsies indicated that 65-year-old Arakawa died on February 11 due to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—an infection caused by airborne rodent contamination—and 95-year-old Hackman passed away seven days later from heart disease, “with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor.”
Authorities say they discovered signs of rodent entry in the couple’s Santa Fe home, but Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus. Given his cognitive state, authorities believe Hackman was unaware of his wife’s death, leading him to stay in their 9,000-square-foot home without seeking assistance.
Police found the couple’s bodies, along with their deceased dog—which had been left in its cage—in separate rooms of their house on February 26.
CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Death is all around us, and the darkness weighs heavily on our hearts and our world. But believers have hope because Emmanuel is present with us in the darkness, and our Living God has removed the sting of death so that it’s powerless against those who love him.
“‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (CSB) (read full passage)