Years before his shock death, Hollywood legend Gene Hackman spoke about the health condition that forced him to retire from the industry.
The actor, 95, found dead at his house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa and their pet dog.
The police have ruled out any indication of foul play. However, the exact cause of their deaths hasn’t been revealed.
Gene Hackman’s health issues
The iconic actor starred in numerous blockbusters before stepping down from his acting responsibilities nearly two decades ago.
He was 74 at the time and cited health issues as the reason to quit his profession. He told CNN’s Larry King in 2004 that he’d had angioplasty after being diagnosed with angina.
It was jarring and at my age and with my health, I decided I didn’t want to do that any longer.
“I did, 12, 14 years ago, I had severe angina. So they do angioplasty,” he shared, before opening up about the fears he faced.
He said: “I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears. I have the normal fear of passing away. You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age.”
Gene added: “I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.”
His heart was under a ‘lot of stress’
The veteran actor later admitted during an interview with Empire in 2009 that his heart wasn’t in good shape.
Gene said: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
However, he enjoyed getting into his characters, as it helped him cope with fears about his health.
He said: “When I’m actually on the set or on a stage, actually doing the work, I loved that process and I loved the creative process of trying to bring a character to life.”
The actor explained: “And then when you’re actually shooting or performing, there is a kind of a feeling that comes over you, a confidence and kind of a wonderful, a washed-over feeling of wellbeing if you will, when it’s going well.”
However, he couldn’t deny the stress of his profession was detrimental to his health. Calling showbiz a “frying pan”, he said: “It was jarring and at my age and with my health, I decided I didn’t want to do that any longer.”
Gene’s final role was in the movie Welcome to Mooseport in 2004. He and his wife were last spotted in public in March 2024.
Actor found dead at 95
The Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed tragic news of Gene’s death in a statement issued on Wednesday (February 26).
The statement read: “On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95 and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64 and a dog were found deceased.”
“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”
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