Actor Gene Hackman, discovered dead at age 93 last month along with his wife Betsy Arakawa in their New Mexico residence, perhaps lived so long because of her care, an old friend has said.

A family friend, Tom Allin, said 64-year-old Arakawa was Hackman's guardian angel, looking out for him and ensuring his well-being despite his health struggles.

In a New York Times interview, Allin described her as "very, very protective of him." He remembered visiting the two around Hackman's 90th birthday in 2020, when the actor "was looking a bit frail." And she just really took care of him, he said.

Last month, TMZ reported that Arakawa had Hackman on a very "strict" diet and ensured he was "eating right," according to his friend, Doug Lanham.

Lanham said that "[Arakawa] took his health so seriously." He further revealed that Hackman was given the occasional indulgence, but those treats were said to be for when he was with his golf buddies.

The actor was also a fitness fanatic. His daughter Leslie Hackman told the Daily Mail that her dad was in "very good physical condition ... despite his age."

"He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week," she said. While she wasn't "terribly shock[ed]" by his passing, given his age, she emphasized that he had remained active and in good health.

When he ate at Jinja Bar & Bistro — which Hackman co-owned with Lanham — the actor always went for the healthy dishes such as halibut or salmon, Lanham remembered

"He was careful about what he ate, and Betsy was always making sure of that," he said.

Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa's Deaths

Hackman and Arakawa were found dead at their Santa Fe residence on Feb. 26. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office confirmed the couple lived on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, where authorities went to conduct a welfare check that afternoon.

Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator,  announced on Mar. 7 that Arakawa died a week prior to Hackman. He is so far into Alzheimer's that he probably did not know his wife had died.

Hackman probably died Feb. 18 or shortly thereafter, while Arakawa died a maximum of a week earlier Feb. 11, the expert said.

Jarrell said that Hackman's cause of death was described as hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease also listed as a contributing factor. "I think he died as a result of his heart disease," she said. "He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer's, and it's quite possible that he was not aware she was deceased."

The hantavirus that killed Arakawa causes a rare, often deadly disease carried by rodents, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The American Lung Association says HPS is spread through the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents and rarely by bites.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said that Hackman was in such a deteriorated mental state that he could not reach out for help after Arakawa's death.

"I think what [happened] here is he didn't realize it and ... didn't understand that she was dead," Baden told Fox News Digital. "He didn't understand that he needed to call 911."

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Celebrity deaths