Gene Hackman had appointed lawyer Julia Peters in his will as agent in case his own wife was unable to look after their interests.
Autopsy report of Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa released
Creditors Gene Hackman
Because the Hackmans died at the same time, Peters was given control over their estate. In recent months there appeared to be a lot of creditors who wanted to see money.
For example, Peters received a claim from telephone company AT&T Mobility: there is still an invoice for r apparently there was still an open telephone bill of more than 1,560 euros that has not been paid despite several reminders.
However, several American magazines claim that this is just the tip of the debt mountain. The Hackmans are said to have built up a hefty credit card debt. For example, they still owed Bank of America 3,700 euros and they are indebted to Citibank for around 84,000 euros.
Gene Hackman left nothing to children
The big question is why Hackman was in such dire financial shape. After decades as a lavishly paid film star, his fortune was estimated at just under 70 million euros. He also made a living as the author of a series of popular historical novels.
Hackman left nothing to his children in his will, but now it seems as if there was hardly anything to divide. The creditors can for the time being enjoy their money, but an auction of Hackmans’ assets may soon change that.
Auction Gene Hackman
There will be auctions at Bonhams auction house in November more than four hundred items under the hammer, including drawings, paintings, scripts and film awards. One of the masterpieces is a painting by Milton Avery entitled Figure on the Jetty, estimated at about 6 tons.
Hackman and his wife were found dead in their home on their Santa Fe estate in February. They had been dead for some time. One of their three dogs was also dead. The couple lived as hermits, which allowed their death to go unnoticed.
Cause of death of Gene Hackman
Initially the cause of death could not be determined. The autopsy report showed that they died at different times and due to natural causes.
Arakawa died around February 11 from the effects of the hantavirus. This can be transmitted through mouse and rat droppings. Hackman is said to have died exactly a week later from heart problems.
He had advanced Alzheimer’s and may not have understood that his wife had been dead for days.