Legendary Hollywood star Gene Hackman and wife found dead

Legendary Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead in their Santa Fe home.

The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found alongside their dog. Local media has reported that no foul play is suspected.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not provide a cause of death, nor did he say when the couple might have died, when asked by local media.

Two-time Oscar winner Hackman had just turned 95 in late January. He was known for being a reclusive person, having not starred in a movie since 2004, when he played Monroe ‘Eagle’ Cole in the political satire Welcome to Mooseport.

The actor was first propelled into the spotlight when he starred in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, and he went on to star in a slew of beloved movies and TV shows like Superman, The French Connection and Get Shorty, to name a few.

But in 2004, he announced that he was done being an actor. He packed up his things, left Los Angeles for the quiet of New Mexico – and he never looked back.

Some initially thought that the shocking decision had to do with his marriage.

The Oscar-award winning actor actually quit acting because of the severe stress he was under, which became too much to handle after he started to have issues with his heart.

Last year, he and Betsy, a 63-year-old classical pianist, were seen out and about for the first time in two decades.

Hackman was was spotted holding onto his wife’s arm for balance as the pair grabbed a bite at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Before the dinner date, Hackman enjoyed a cup of coffee and some apple pie from a local Speedway store, according to the New York Post.

The couple’s outing marks the first time they were seen together in public for 21 years, with the last time being at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where he won the Cecil B. deMille award. (Daily Mail)