The fate of Gene Hackman's $80 million fortune remains uncertain as his three children were not named as beneficiaries in the actor's will.
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico in late February, prompting an investigation into the couple's mysterious deaths.
Earlier this month, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the state's Office of the Medical Investigator, announced that Arakawa was likely first to have died around February 11, when she passed away from a rare condition called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Advert
Hackman, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, is believed to have died around one week after his wife due to 'hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor'.
Jarrell explained: "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease. He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think, ultimately, that is what resulted in his death."
Hackman's will has been released in the wake of his passing, and reveals that the Oscar-winner left his entire estate to Arakawa.
Advert
Prior to his marriage to Arakawa, Hackman welcomed three children with his former wife, Faye Maltese. Christopher is the actor's eldest child at 65 years old, followed by Elizabeth at 62, and Leslie at 58.
Legal documents cited by BBC News show that Hackman named Arakawa as the sole beneficiary to his fortune in 1995, and last updated the document in 2005.
With Arakawa having also died, the fate of Hackman's fortune now remains uncertain.
Advert
In an interview with BBC News, California attorney Tre Lovell shed some light on the situation and explained that Hackman's children could end up receiving the estate due to succession laws, as long as there is no other beneficiary named and they are able to prove that Arakawa died before Hackman, making his will invalid.
He explained: "The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit."
Trust and family law attorney, David A. Esquibias, also shared his thoughts on the situation in an interview with People.
He explained that the time which has passed since Hackman last updated his will makes it less likely that it will be contested, saying: "In this situation, Gene Hackman and his wife did not sign their will and trust in 2025 or 2024. But, had that been the case, I think there was more likelihood that there's gonna be a contest.
Advert
"But if you look at the dates of the will, they're 2005. Contesting a 20-year-old document is exponentially harder than contesting a deathbed-signed document."
Like Hackman, Arakawa left her assets to her spouse in the wake of her death. However, Arakawa's will stated that if she and Hackman died within 90 days of each other, her estate would go to a trust and later be donated to charity.
Topics: Gene Hackman, Health, Money, US News, Celebrity
Emily Brown