Gene Hackman died of heart disease one week after wife died of rare virus
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Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a week after his wife Betsy Arakawa died of a rare infectious disease at their home, a pathologist has said.
Two-time Oscar winner Hackman, 95, was likely at home alone with the body of his wife for a week before he passed away himself, the sheriff of Santa Fe in New Mexico, US, told a press conference on Friday.
The post-mortem examination showed Ms Arakawa, also known as Betsy Hackman, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare but potentially fatal disease which spreads to humans through infected rodent droppings or saliva.