• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Gene Hackman's children not named in the actor's $80,000,000 will

Home> Celebrity> News

Published 11:11 17 Mar 2025 GMT

Gene Hackman's children not named in the actor's $80,000,000 will

The Oscar-winning actor's will was released after he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died within days of each other

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

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.

Hackman and Arakawa died within days of each other ( Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Hackman and Arakawa died within days of each other ( Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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.

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.

Advert

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.

Hackman's estate is worth approximately $80 million (Vera Anderson/WireImage)
Hackman's estate is worth approximately $80 million (Vera Anderson/WireImage)

With Arakawa having also died, the fate of Hackman's fortune now remains uncertain.

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.

Advert

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.

"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."

Advert

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.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Donaldson Collection

Topics: Gene Hackman, Health, Money, US News, Celebrity

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
4 hours ago
a day ago
  • 3 hours ago

    Woody Harrelson fans left baffled after realizing who his dad is

    Fans were stunned that they had never heard the story before

    Celebrity
  • 4 hours ago

    Dolly Parton makes heartbreaking admission months after husband’s death

    Parton expressed her struggles following her husband's death

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Kelly Osbourne reveals truth behind rumor that parents Ozzy and Sharon have ‘suicide pact’

    Kelly slammed reports of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne's end-of-life plans

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    People pointing out the same thing as Hawk Tuah girl reportedly sells social media account for eye-watering sum

    The Hawk Tuah girl was able to sell the page despite recent controversies

    Celebrity
  • What could happen to Gene Hackman's $80,000,000 fortune after he left his children out of will
  • Heartbreaking search history shows what Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa googled on lead up to their deaths
  • Timeline of Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa’s death changed after police discover new evidence
  • Gene Hackman's wife Betsy made heartbreaking Amazon order as final hours of her life revealed