Gene Hackman Estate Faces Debt, Inheritance Dispute

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead about a week apart in their New Mexico ranch home earlier this year, with Hackman dying from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, and Arakawa from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Their deaths left behind nearly $100,000 in unpaid credit card debt—$98,345.29 owed by Hackman to Citibank and $4,329.75 by Arakawa to Bank of America—despite Hackman's estimated $80 million estate. The banks have filed claims against the estate, complicating legal proceedings. Hackman's will, last updated in 2005, named Arakawa as the sole beneficiary, explicitly excluding his three adult children and leading to potential inheritance disputes. Their valuable ranch property is expected to draw significant interest. Authorities have ruled out foul play and are not treating the deaths as suspicious.