Gene Hackman's Santa Fe Estate Sells Swiftly After Tragic Deaths
The sprawling Santa Fe compound belonging to the late Hollywood legend Gene Hackman appears to have found a buyer after a remarkably brief eleven days on the market. The New Mexico property, listed for $6.25 million by Sotheby’s International Realty, has been marked as pending, indicating an offer has been accepted. Listing agents Tara S Earley and Ricky Allen have been contacted for comment by the Daily Mail regarding the swift transaction.
A Property Shrouded in Tragedy
Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered deceased inside their home on Old Sunset Trail in the Hyde Park area in February last year. The couple had actually passed away on January 26, 2025. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office released footage showing a heartbroken German shepherd guarding their bodies as deputies arrived. The sprawling Southwestern-style four-bedroom ranch, extensively remodeled in 1990 and featured in Architectural Digest, sits on a picturesque six-acre hill within a coveted gated community, offering generous views of the Rocky Mountains.
Celebrity Cachet Drives Market Interest
Despite the tragic circumstances, real estate experts suggested the celebrity connection would drive significant interest. An agent at Coldwell Banker told the Daily Mail prior to listing that the home's size, style, and great bones would attract buyers, predicting plenty of offers even with the deaths occurring on the property. The expert noted that any celebrity link, regardless of context, typically inflates property values. Some agents have even claimed the ranch could ultimately fetch more than its asking price.
Investigation Reveals Final Days
Court-released documents and police records paint a poignant picture of the couple's final days. The chief medical examiner, Dr Heather Jarrell, ruled both deaths were from natural causes. Hackman died from heart disease, complicated by Alzheimer's, while Arakawa succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease spread by infected rodents.
Investigators found that in her last days, Arakawa was researching flu-like symptoms and COVID-19 online. Her search history and emails show she was seeking medical concierge services in Santa Fe after Hackman woke with cold-like symptoms on February 11. Hackman's pacemaker data suggests he likely died on February 18, about a week after his wife.
Condition of the Home and Legal Proceedings
When discovered, the Pueblo revival-style home was described as cluttered with clothing, boxes, diapers, and dog cages. An environmental assessment found rodent feces in several outbuildings, though the interior was clean. This was New Mexico's first confirmed hantavirus case of the year.
Initial investigative materials were sealed by a court order, extended after requests from Hackman's estate and Arakawa's mother citing privacy. Media organisations including The Associated Press intervened, agreeing not to disseminate images of the bodies. The court subsequently released records, provided no images of the deceased were included. Redacted police bodycam footage showed no signs of forced entry, with prescription medication noted on a bathroom counter.
Legacies of the Couple
Gene Hackman was a five-time Oscar winner, famed for roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven, who retired in the early 2000s. Betsy Arakawa, an artist and former vice president of a Santa Fe home decor store, met Hackman while working at a California gym in the mid-1980s. The couple relocated to Santa Fe by the decade's end, seeking refuge in an area renowned as a retreat for artists and celebrities. Their home, nestled among piñon and juniper hills, now passes to new owners, closing a poignant chapter on a property forever linked to Hollywood history and personal tragedy.
