By: Summer Bixler

Gene Hackman, an award-winning actor, was found dead in his Santa Fe home on February 26, along with his wife, Betsy Arawaka, a classical pianist, and one of their family dogs.

Gene Hackman’s career spanned over four decades. He won four Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and three Academy Awards. He is best known for his roles in “The Conversation” (1974), “Hoosiers” (1986) and “The Unforgiven” (1992).

Arawaka performed at events such as The 20th Annual People’s Choice Awards and the 61st Annual Academy Awards. The couple met at the gym in the 1980s. They never had children together, but Arawaka was a stepmom to Hackman’s three children.

It was reported that the couple and their dog died on February 17, but weren’t found until nine days later. While one of their dogs was found dead, the other two remained alive. It was also reported by government officials that their front door was found unlocked.

There were no apparent signs of foul play with their deaths, and no external harm was found in the autopsies. Investigators are still working on finding the cause of their deaths, but for now it remains a mystery as to exactly what happened.

Although younger generations may not be familiar with Hackman, Bellbrook High School senior, Jordan Frantz, thought fondly of him. “I know about Gene Hackman from the classic movie, Hoosiers. He was one of my favorite actors growing up and the reason why I loved the Hoosiers movie so much,” Frantz said.

Bellbrook High School senior Lola Brown was shocked and upset at the news of Hackman’s death. “It is very heartbreaking to hear about the loss of Gene Hackman,” Brown said.