Gene Hackman, the esteemed actor who passed away in February 2025 at the age of 95, left his entire $80 million estate to his wife, Betsy Arakawa, excluding his three children from a previous marriage. This decision has led to potential legal disputes, as Hackman’s son has reportedly hired a trust and estate attorney to challenge the will.
Both Hackman and Arakawa signed their wills in 2005, a period that legal experts suggest makes contesting the documents more challenging. The couple’s simultaneous deaths—Arakawa from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome on February 11 and Hackman from heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease on February 18—have complicated the execution of their estates.
In the absence of a clear beneficiary, legal provisions may direct Hackman’s assets to his children from his first marriage. However, the situation remains complex, and the final distribution of the estate will likely be determined through legal proceedings in the coming months.