Dustin Hoffman shares moving tribute to Gene Hackman: “A giant among actors”
Dustin Hoffman has honoured his late friend Gene Hackman, whose death was confirmed on February 27th.
Hackman’s death was announced by the Sante Fe Police Department in New Mexico along with the passing of his wife, Betsy Arakawa. After receiving a tip-off from a maintenance worker who made a 911 call, the local police arrived at their home on February 26th to find two deceased bodies.
In an affidavit published by the Sante Fe Police Department, Arakawa’s body was described as showing “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet.” Hackman, who was found in the mud room, is suspected to have “suddenly fallen” and “showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent”.
Arakawa’s body was in a bathroom of the property with a space heater near her head and she was also said to have been surrounded by pill bottles. A dead dog was also found within 10 to 15 metres of her body, and two other dogs survived.
The police have since confirmed they believe “the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” which is currently ongoing.
Hackman had been close friends with Hoffman since the pair were roommates in acting school before both going on to conquer Hollywood. In a statement, Hoffman recalled: “I met Gene in acting school, at the Pasadena Playhouse, when he was 27 and I was 19. We used to play congas together on the roof, trying to be like our hero Marlon Brando… And Gene was like Brando, in that he brought something unprecedented to our craft, something people didn’t immediately understand as genius.”
He powerfully concluded his statement by stating: “Powerful, subtle, brilliant. A giant among actors. I miss him already.”
At this stage, the full details surrounding Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths are being investigated by local authorities with a press conference expected to be held at 3pm local time in Sante Fe.
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