Gene Hackman’s $80 million fortune: Who gets what after the actor’s death?
As Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, is thought to have died before him, the Hollywood legend’s will may be deemed invalid.
Gene Hackman’s children are reportedly in line to inherit the Hollywood actor’s multi-million-dollar fortune, despite being left out of their father’s will.
The BBC has reported that Hackman, who died at the age of 95 last month, left his entire estate to his second wife, Betsy Arakawa.
However, Arakawa was found dead with Hackman - and as she is believed to have died before her husband, his will may now be invalid and his fortune could instead go to his offspring, the BBC reveals.
“Children would be lawfully next in line”
“The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit,” the attorney Tre Lovell told the BBC.
Lovell added that Hackman’s children will have to prove that his will is invalid because his wife died before he did.
How many children does Gene Hackman have?
A film legend who won two Oscars during a nearly five-decade screen career, Hackman has three children from his first marriage to Faye Maltese: son Christopher, and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie.
Hackman’s fortune is estimated to be around $80 million.
How and when did Hackman and Arakawa die?
Hackman and the 65-year-old classical pianist Arakawa, who married in 1991, were found dead at their Santa Fe home on February 26.
In a press conference earlier this month, the New Mexico chief medical examiner, Heather Jarrell, said Hackman died of cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease “a significant contributory factor”.
Jarrell revealed that Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare respiratory illness that is caught after exposure to rodent excrement.
Although Jarrell cautioned that there is “no reliable scientific method to accurately determine the exact date or time of death”, she said it is “reasonable to conclude” that Hackman died after Arakawa.
“Mr. Hackman’s initial pacemaker data revealed cardiac activity on February 17, with subsequent pacemaker interrogation demonstrating an abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrilation on February 18, which was the last record of heart activity,” Jarrell told reporters.
“Based on this information, it is reasonable to conclude that Mr. Hackman probably died around February 18.”
Jarrell continued: “Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms. Hackman [Arakawa] passed away first, with February 11 being the last time that she was known to be alive.”
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