A new report revealed that the children of Gene Hackman have been left out of the late actor's $80 million will.
Last month, Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs tragically passed away. Their bodies were discovered at their home on February 26 and autopsy reports estimated that they likely died weeks before they were found.
Gene Hackman's Children Not Named in Late Actor's Will
It was reported recently that Hackman's $80 million will has been released, and his children from previous marriages were not named in the document.
Instead, the late actor left his entire estate to his late wife Betsy Arakawa with no other successors stated.
However, considering that autopsy reports have shown that Arakawa died around seven days before the late actor, legal experts have said that Hackman's children could now inherit the estate.
California attorney Tre Lovell told BBC, "The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit."
Hackman's children would need to prove that the will is invalid due to Arakawa's death before the late actor.
Meanwhile, Arakawa's will stated that all her assets would go to Hackman. However, it also has a provision that if they died within 90 days of each other, her estate would go to a trust and then be donated to charity.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Cause of Death
New Mexico authorities announced that autopsy reports from medical examiners have ruled Hackman and Arakawa's death to be from natural causes during a press conference recently.
Arakawa died first from hantavirus in their New Mexico home while Hackman passed away a week later due to heart disease.
Hackman also had severe signs of advanced Alzheimer’s disease so he was likely not aware that his wife already died during his final days. His pacemaker last showed signs of activity on February 18, around a week before their bodies were discovered.
Meanwhile, their dog Zinna died due to dehydration and starvation according to a report obtained from the veterinary lab. The stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.
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