Gene Hackman’s $80m fortune uncertain as children left out of will

(Credits: Far Out / Press)
After the recent passing of Gene Hackman, there has been uncertainty over the fate of his $80 million fortune after the discovery that he left his entire estate to his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The Oscar-winning actor was found dead at the age of 95 in his Sante Fe home, along with his wife, who was just 65.
It was recently announced that the actor died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a week after his wife was killed by a rare, rodent-born disease called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
It has been reported that Hackman had a will drawn up in 1995 in which Arakawa was made the sole beneficiary. His three children, Christopher, Leslie and Elizabeth, are not named in the will.
Arakawa had a separate will, in which she also left most of her assets to Hackman. However, there is also a clause included in the statement that if the couple die within 90 days of each other that it would be considered a simultaneous death, and all her assets will go to charity.
Christopher, one of Hackman’s sons, has apparently already hired a well-known Californian trust and estate attorney, perhaps indicating that he plans to attest the will.
A representative for Hackman’s estate has tried to block the release of the autopsy and investigative reports relating to the couples death, in order to protective their privacy and right to grieve, without the photos being subjected to media scrutiny.
