TOGETHER FOREVER

Heartbreaking Love Notes Reveal Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Were Madly in Love

Santa Fe authorities shared some of the love notes the couple wrote to each other.

Santa Fe authorities shared on Tuesday a handful of love notes Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa wrote to each other before they died six days apart, revealing the couple’s deep love for each other. In one of the notes, Hackman called Arakawa a “lovely girl,” adding that he was “thinking of you and the other little guys.” In another he apologized for “having to ask for your help, although it was appreciated” with making her birthday dinner. Hackman suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and seemingly acknowledged that in a letter, saying: “Ho, Ho, I am off to see the Wizard, the Wizz of Achie, Pokie. She stabs me here and stabs me there, she stabs me almost everywhere (almost).” Arakawa would also write to Hackman, updating him on her whereabouts and daily activities. Hackman and Arakawa were both found dead in their New Mexico home in February. Authorities ultimately determined that Arakawa died a week before Hackman from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and that Hackman passed away from a combination of advanced Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and high blood pressure. The couple’s funeral was a private ceremony held in April with only close friends and family in attendance.