Gene Hackman‘s daughter Leslie Anne Hackman spoke out about her father’s health after the late Oscar-winning actor was found dead in his New Mexico home Feb. 26.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Leslie said her 95-year-old father was “in good health” leading up to his death.
“There was no indication that there was any problem,” she told the outlet. “Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition.” She added that Hackman did not undergo any major surgeries in the months leading up to his death.
“He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health,” she said.
Leslie also spoke highly of Gene’s wife of over 30 years, Betsy Arakawa, who was also found dead in the bathroom.
“They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive,” she said. “[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. So I am appreciative to her for that, and I’m very saddened by her passing.”
The couple were found in separate areas of their Sante Fe, New Mexico home Feb. 26, by two maintenance workers. According to the search warrant, the front door to the house was open when the maintenance workers arrived but there were no signs of forced entry.
Gene was found in the mud room with his sunglasses at his side, while Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor with pills scattered nearby.
Arakawa was showing signs of decomposition when her body was discovered with “bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet,” leading authorities to believe they had been dead “for some time” before being found.
The Daily Mail reports Leslie speculates her father may have been killed from carbon monoxide poisoning. But ABC reports the New Mexico Gas Company found “no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence” during their investigation.
Though authorities say foul play is “not currently suspected,” a search warrant affidavit from investigators says the circumstances surrounding his are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
Leslie said the family is currently waiting to learn more about the cause of death.
Hackman led a decades-long career in film, earning two Oscars for his performances in the 1972 film The French Connection and 1993’s Unforgiven.
