<p id=”par-1_86″>Famed actor Gene Hackman is <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/pacemaker-helps-investigators-pinpoint-the-time-of-gene-hackmans-death.html/”>believed to have died<strong> </strong>on February 18, 2025</a>. Investigators think his wife, Betsy Arakawa, perished a week earlier from a rare but serious viral infection. Hackman, who left Hollywood years ago, and Arakawa’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-deaths/?swcfpc=1″>mysterious and complicated deaths</a> shocked Hollywood, but the complications aren’t over yet. Gene Hackman’s will left his entire fortune to his wife, but where do the funds go now that she’s gone, too? His three children, who were not named in the will, may inherit the actor’s estate.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-gene-hackman-s-will-did-not-provide-for-his-three-children-with-his-first-wife”>Gene Hackman’s will did not provide for his three children with his first wife</h2>
<p id=”par-2_63″>Gene Hackman’s will has officially been revealed. The iconic actor, best known for roles in <em>The French Connection</em>,<em> Superman</em>, and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-royal-tenenbaums-gene-hackman-shattered-ben-stillers-world-left-gwyneth-paltrow-really-special-memory.html/”><em>The Royal Tenenbaums</em>,</a> left his $80 million fortune to his wife, Betsy Arakawa. According to several sources, Hackman’s three children from a previous marriage were not named in the will. They likely would not have inherited anything if Arakawa had not died, too.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Gene-Hackman-and-his-wife-Betsy-Arakawa.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa” class=”wp-image-3784679″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa | Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_72″>Arakawa, who died <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gene-hackmans-heartbreaking-cause-death-revealed.html/”>a week before Hackman</a> from Hantavirus, had her own will. She left all of her belongings to Hackman. In her filing, Arakawa requested her assets to go to charity if Hackman preceded her in death. Arakawa, a classically trained pianist, and Hackman were married in 1991 after dating for several years. She, more than 30 years his junior, was responsible for much of his care in his final years.</p>
<p id=”par-4_47″>According to <a href=”http://The%20Royal%20Tenenbaums” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>the Daily Mail</a>, Gene Hackman’s will was filed in 2005, nearly 15 years after he married Betsy Arakawa. It is unclear how his fortune was dispersed before the 2005 filing. It is unknown if Hackman even had a will that predated the most recent filing.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-iconic-actor-had-a-complicated-relationship-with-his-children”>The iconic actor had a complicated relationship with his children</h2>
<p id=”par-5_76″>In the days and weeks since Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found dead inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico home, a picture of a complicated and often reclusive couple has emerged. The Hackmans, as they were known around town, were notoriously private. Still, they had friends and regularly communicated with maintenance staff and contractors. They had constant projects going on at the Santa Fe home. The duo were not, however, in regular communication with family.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Gene-Hackman-wife-and-kids.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Gene Hackman’s daughters and wife attend the premiere of ‘The Chambers’ with him” class=”wp-image-3782516″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Gene Hackman with wife and daughters | Getty Images / Stringer</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-6_68″>In the days after Gene Hackman’s mysterious and tragic death, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gene-hackman-dead-at-95-did-the-famed-actor-have-children.html/”>his daughter </a>spoke out. She insisted that she and her father were close. She later revealed she had not spoken to the famed actor in the months before his death, despite Hackman celebrating his 95th birthday just weeks before he died. His son, Christopher Hackman, opted to stay quiet following the tragic and mysterious death of his father.</p>
<p id=”par-7_71″>Hackman himself painted a picture of a complicated relationship with his three children from a previous marriage. Over the years he alluded to a strained connection to the kids, claiming he spent more time working than fathering his children. The relationship appeared to grow more complicated after his divorce from their mother, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gene-hackmans-wife-betsy-arakawa-times-married.html/”>Faye Maltese</a>, in 1986 and his move out of California. Still, they appeared with Hackman at movie premieres. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-gene-hackman-s-children-could-contest-his-will”>Gene Hackman’s children could contest his will</h2>
<p id=”par-8_47″>While Hackman’s three children have remained out of the spotlight since the day the famed actor was found, there appears to be a lot going on behind the scenes. The will may cause a dustup. According to TMZ, Hackman’s only son, Christopher Hackman, has hired legal representation.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Gene-Hackman-kids.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Gene Hackman attends the premiere of ‘Superman’ with his children, Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie” class=”wp-image-3782518″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Gene Hackman and children during Presidential Premiere of ‘Superman’ in | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-9_80″>While it’s unclear precisely what the eldest Hackman sibling is planning, <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.tmz.com/2025/03/14/gene-hackman-betsy-arakawa-will-estate-children/#continued” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>TMZ </a>theorizes that he intends to contest Hackman’s will. Although, that isn’t the only explanation. The timing and nature of Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths confuse matters, including who actually inherits Hackman’s estate and how the couple’s marital assets should be split. A lawyer may be needed to make sense of the will and its stipulations, considering how and when the married couple died. Arakawa did not have any children.</p>