GENE Hackman’s £62million fortune could be given to his three children, even though they were not named in his will.
The legendary French Connection star, who died at 95 last month, had named his wife of 30 years, Betsy Arakawa, as the sole beneficiary.
But Arakawa, 65, was found dead alongside Hackman in their New Mexico home, with authorities saying she passed away a week before him.
Legal experts say this timeline could mean Hackman’s estate defaults to his three children – Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 – under intestate succession laws.
How could Hackman’s children inherit?
According to California attorney Tre Lovell, the actor’s will, last updated in 2005, named only Awakawa as the beneficiary.
With her passing before Hackman, the estate could now bypass the will altogether.
Lovell told the BBC: “The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit.”
However, Hackman’s children would likely need to prove that the will is invalid due to his wife’s earlier death.
Awakawa’s own will complicated matters even more.
She had left her assets to Hackman, with a clause stating that if they died within 90 days of each other, her estate would be placed in a trust and later donated to charity.
Gene Hackman’s children have not commented publicly on the estate dispute.
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While they rarely appeared in the public eye with their father, they did occasionally attend red carpet events.
In a statement following his passing, his daughters and granddaughter said: “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa.
“We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Star’s tragic death
The inheritance question is just the latest twist surrounding the couple’s deaths.
Betsy Arakawa was found in a bathroom with pills scattered nearby, while Hackman was discovered in a separate room wearing sweatpants and slippers, with his cane and sunglasses beside him.
Authorities initially deemed the scene “suspicious” before ruling out foul play.
But new claims have cast doubt on the timeline of Awakawa’s death.
Santa Fe doctor Josiah Child, who runs Cloudberry Health, told the Daily Mail that Arakawa called his clinic on February 12 — 24 hours after authorities say she died.
Dr Child said: “She called my office on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear in respiratory distress.”
Awakawa was reported to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease, but Child questioned whether this diagnosis made sense.
“It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone and didn’t appear to be in respiratory distress,” he said, adding that most hantavirus patients die in hospitals.
Gene Hackman, who suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s, reportedly lived alone for days after her death, potentially unaware of her body in the bathroom.
He died on February 18 from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s listed as a contributing factor.
