The details of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s wills have surfaced, raising potential legal questions over the late actor’s $80 million fortune. According to Daily Mail, Hackman had named Arakawa as his primary beneficiary and successor trustee in a will last updated in June 2005.
However, since Arakawa died a week before Hackman, the estate will likely pass to his three children—Christopher, 65, Leslie, 58, and Elizabeth, 62—whom he shared with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese. While it remains unclear if they were specifically named in his will, reports suggest Christopher has already hired a high-profile attorney, signaling a possible inheritance dispute.
Arakawa, who had no children, designated her assets to a trust that will first settle her medical debts before distributing funds to various charities. Her will also included a clause stating that if she and Hackman died within 90 days of each other, their deaths would be considered simultaneous—altering how assets are distributed.
Attorney Julia Peters has been appointed as executor of both wills. She also filed legal paperwork seeking to block the public release of autopsy reports, photographs, and police bodycam footage from the couple’s deaths.
Hackman, 95, passed away on Feb. 18 from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor. His body remained undiscovered until Feb. 26, as he was likely living alone with his wife’s remains due to his advanced neurodegenerative condition. Arakawa, 65, died on Feb. 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease linked to rodent droppings.
A longtime friend of the couple, Tom Allin, told The New York Times that Arakawa had been essential to Hackman’s well-being in his final years. “She was very protective of him,” he said, adding, “She just really looked after him.”
The couple, who lived a quiet life in Santa Fe, had been married for 34 years. Their last public sighting together was during a dinner outing in March 2024.
