Gene Hackman left his three kids out of his $80 million estate: Report
The inheritance of Gene Hackman’s estate has been called into question following revelations that his 3 children are not named as beneficiaries in his will.
The succession of Gene Hackman’s substantial estate is now in question following the discovery that his three adult children are not named as beneficiaries in his will. The two-time Oscar winner, aged 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, 65, were found dead by authorities at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February . According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, documents reveal that Hackman had named Arakawa Hackman as the sole beneficiary of his estate, personal representative, and Successor Trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust.
Although Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58, are identified as Hackman’s children in the will, the actor designated Arakawa Hackman as the sole successor to his trust and estate. However, recent findings indicating that Arakawa Hackman passed away several days before her husband have raised questions regarding who will ultimately inherit the estate.
Hackman had his three children with his first wife, Fay Maltese, whom he married in 1956. The couple divorced in 1986, and Hackman later married Arakawa, a Santa Fe-based furniture seller and pianist, in 1991. According to recent court filings, Hackman amended the structure of their so-called GeBe Revocable Trust in 1995 by appointing Arakawa Hackman as the Successor Trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust. His will, dated 7 June 2005, explicitly states, "I give my entire estate to Betsy Arakawa Hackman."
{{/usCountry}}Hackman had his three children with his first wife, Fay Maltese, whom he married in 1956. The couple divorced in 1986, and Hackman later married Arakawa, a Santa Fe-based furniture seller and pianist, in 1991. According to recent court filings, Hackman amended the structure of their so-called GeBe Revocable Trust in 1995 by appointing Arakawa Hackman as the Successor Trustee of the Gene Hackman Living Trust. His will, dated 7 June 2005, explicitly states, "I give my entire estate to Betsy Arakawa Hackman."
{{/usCountry}}Hackman had named his former solicitor, Michael G. Sutin, as the successor personal representative in the event of Arakawa Hackman’s passing. However, Sutin died in 2019, meaning that with Arakawa Hackman having predeceased Hackman, his representation passed to his next successor, solicitor Julia L. Peters, according to an application for informal probate of will and appointment of personal representative filed on 6 March.
A copy of Arakawa Hackman’s will confirms that she had no children or lineal descendants. She had appointed Hackman as the personal representative of her estate, with Sutin and Peters listed as successors. Her will, signed on the same date as Hackman’s, stipulated that her estate should pass to the Gene Hackman Living Trust in the event of her death. Should Hackman not have survived Arakawa by a period of 90 days, the estate was to be directed towards "a charitable trust to achieve purposes beneficial to the community, consistent with the charitable preferences and interests expressed or indicated by my spouse and me during our lifetimes."
Court filings from earlier this month name Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie as Hackman’s heirs. With Arakawa Hackman also deceased, they may now seek to lay claim to Hackman’s estate as his closest living relatives.
Dr Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical investigator, revealed at a press conference on 7 March that Hackman died from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease cited as a significant contributory factor. Arakawa Hackman, meanwhile, passed away several days earlier due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease typically contracted through exposure to mouse droppings that affects the lungs.
