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The details of Gene Hackman’s estate have surfaced following his and wife Betsy Arakawa’s passing, revealing an $80 million fortune initially left to Arakawa, PageSix reports. However, with her death occurring one week before his, the fate of the inheritance could now shift to his three children, potentially setting the stage for legal disputes.
Hackman’s Estate Plan and Uncertain Beneficiaries
Hackman, who had been battling Alzheimer’s, last updated his will in 2005. His legal documents named Arakawa as the primary beneficiary and successor trustee, according to reports from the Daily Mail. This meant his entire estate, including real estate holdings and financial assets, was to be passed to her.
However, Arakawa’s own will stipulated that her assets would be transferred into a trust, which would first settle her medical debts before being allocated to charitable organizations. A unique provision in her will stated that if she and Hackman passed within 90 days of each other, their deaths would be considered simultaneous, nullifying the automatic transfer of assets between them. Given this clause and Arakawa’s earlier death, Hackman’s wealth is likely to be redirected elsewhere.
Hackman had three children—Christopher, 65, Leslie, 58, and Elizabeth, 62—from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese. Though estranged for much of their lives due to Hackman’s Hollywood career, reports suggest that the family had reconciled in his later years. If Hackman’s will did not explicitly include his children as beneficiaries, the estate’s distribution could become a contentious legal matter. Christopher has reportedly retained a high-powered attorney, signaling a potential dispute over the inheritance.
Legal Challenges and Privacy Measures
Attorney Julia Peters has been appointed as the executor of both Hackman’s and Arakawa’s wills. Peters has already moved to block the release of autopsy records, including investigative reports, body-camera footage, and photographs from the scene.
Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, passed away at 95 due to heart disease, with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor. His body was discovered on February 26, though pacemaker records indicate he died on February 18. Arakawa, a pianist, succumbed to complications from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease, a week before Gene Hackman’s passing.
With Arakawa’s death occurring first, Hackman’s estate remains in flux, and the final allocation of his fortune may ultimately be decided in court. Whether his children receive the inheritance or other factors come into play remains an unfolding story.
