I updated this story this morning, Friday Feb 28th, 2025. Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa had a decades-long love affair with Santa Fe
UPDATE: I am saddened that many people on social media are spreading rumors and falsehoods on this very sad news.
Very sad to report this news from the Santa Fe New Mexican. Our prayers are with the family. Our hearts break for them. We are praying for peace and comfort for the family and friends. I wish that with all my travels to Santa Fe over the last several years, I would have met Gene.
I will never forget working at WFRN Christian radio in South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana and getting to meet the real coach of the ‘Hoosiers.’ In real life: The head coach, Marvin Wood, was 26 years old when he coached Milan to the title, and it was his second year as head coach of the team. Marvin came to visit me, he wanted to advertise on WFRN, he was running for political office.
I want to share with you that Marvin was an awesome man of God! Mr. Hackman sure did an awesome job of playing the coach! Hoosiers is one of my all-time favorite movies! TRUE STORY! SO INSPIRATIONAL! God Bless the memories of Mr. Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. Our prayers are with the family and all their friends.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities said Thursday.
Foul play was not suspected, but authorities did not release circumstances of their deaths and said an investigation was ongoing.
According to Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Avila, Hackman, 95, was found dead with his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog when deputies performed a welfare check at the home yesterday (2/26/2025) at approximately 1:45 PM (MST).
The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the finest actors of his generation, appearing as both villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven” 21 years apart. His death comes just four days before this year’s ceremony. More Here
We have this just in from ABC News Obituary: Gene Hackman, Oscar-winning star of ‘Hoosiers’ and ‘Unforgiven,’ dies at 95
Milan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats of Muncie Central, 32‑30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. Plump’s shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians’ place in Indiana basketball history.
