Following the discovery of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife's bodies in their Santa Fe home, friends and neighbors revealed he had been in noticeably failing health in the months leading up to his death.

Daniel Lenihan, who had been a friend of Hackman's for decades, said Hackman had become " essentially kind of home-bound" and had not been riding the bike he used to ride throughout the neighborhood for about a year.

During his final months, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, did her best to keep him on his feet.

According to Daniel's son, Aaron, per PEOPLE, "[Hackman and Arakawa] seemed like real-life partners, really close to each other."

"Betsy was incredibly devoted to him, and Gene was as proud of her as she was of him."

Police said the actor's body was found at the doorway, and his wife lay face-up on the bathroom floor beside prescription pills.

Important Evidence Found Near Arakawa Investigators

Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said deputies found prescription medication, which they described as "important evidence," near Arakawa. He also refused to dismiss foul play, saying investigators were piecing together what had occurred.

"It's not normal to find two people deceased in a residence like this," Mendoza said, per PEOPLE. "That's concerning. And then there was also a dog that was in a kennel that was also found deceased."

They were also reported to have found more medicines from the couple's gated ranch house. Carbon Monoxide poisoning has been ruled out, but the cause of death is still being determined, officials said. Hackman's pacemaker apparently stopped working on Feb. 17, which some experts have guessed could have been the date of his passing.

Coroner Gives Insight into Hackman's Estimated Time of Death

A retired Arizona chief medical examiner, Dr. Philip Keen, said the pacemaker's failure might be able to show the time of death, but he said the record isn't definitive.

"If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point – and it might be the hallmark of when death occurred," Keen said, according to WCNC. "But it's not necessarily definitive, as some people have pacemakers for augmentation rather than total dependence."

While authorities would not say whether the items will be forensically tested, Mendoza said the probe is still ongoing.