The wills of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been revealed one month after their tragic deaths.
The married couple were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in February. Actor Gene was 95 years old while Betsy was 65. One of their dogs was also found dead inside the house. However, their two other pets were safe.
Autopsies revealed that Betsy died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a week before Gene died around seven days later on February 18. It is assumed that Gene would not have noticed Betsy’s death due to his advanced Alzheimer’s.
Gene Hackman’s will revealed
Following his death, Gene left his whopping £80 million fortune to his wife, who was trustee to his estate. According to the Daily Mail, it is unknown whether his three estranged children – son Christopher Allen, 65, and daughters Leslie Anne, 58, and Elizabeth Jean, 62, with ex-wife Faye Maltese – were left anything.
The possibility of them not being included in his will has sparked concern over a legal battle over his millions. In her will, Betsy designates her assets to a trust, to be distributed to charities and the settlement of medical debts.
“If he died first and she [Betsy] had survived, it would’ve been World War III,” a legal expert told the Daily Mail. “His kids would’ve probably gone crazy.”
As noted by the newspaper, the most recent signed copy of his will was from June 2005. Despite the Hollywood actor having Alzheimer’s, it is unknown when he was first diagnosed.
‘There must be some trouble brewing’
Gene’s attorney, Julia Peters, has been appointed as executor of Gene and Betsy’s wills. However, without a copy of the trust, it is unclear how the estates will be divided.
Initially, Gene had another trust, the GeBe Revocable Trust, where in 1994, he made Betsy the Successor Trustee. This was put into effect in September 1995.
Another change was later made where the Avalon Trust was made the Successor Trustee. Before amending in 1994, his children may have included his children as beneficiaries.
The legal expert claimed that Gene’s son Chris’ decision to hire a prominent California trust and estate attorney hints that he is “definitely trying to protect his interests”.
“The fact that Chris got a high-powered lawyer indicates to me something is going on. I don’t know why the girls [daughters] are not represented. That tells me that there must be some trouble brewing.”
The source also insisted “whatever they collect from the state will be managed by Avalon”.
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