Actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were all found dead in their home in New Mexico yesterday. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 63. The cause of death at this point is unknown, but local authorities do not expect foul play. The police checked up on the couple after a neighbor requested a wellness check. The exact cause of death has yet to be determined, and it may take up to 4-6 weeks to get a definitive answer.

Hackman was a titan in Hollywood, starring in numerous iconic films and earning himself plenty of awards, including two Oscars. The first of these came from his performance as Popeye in the neo-noir crime thriller The French Connection in 1971. He won his second Oscar for portraying Little Bill in Clint Eastwood’s western masterpiece Unforgiven. At that time, Hackman played an antagonist, a very different role from what he had played in The French Connection.

Hackman acted in many other critically acclaimed films including the Francis Ford Coppola film The Conversation, Hoosiers, Mississippi Burning, The Royal Tenenbaums and Superman: The Movie. Despite not starting his acting career until his mid-30s, Gene Hackman quickly cemented himself as a powerhouse in the industry, tackling characters that ate up screen presence whenever they appeared.

Hackman quit acting and settled into retirement in 2004 at the age of 74. He and his wife, who he married in 1991, lived a quiet life in New Mexico, rarely making public appearances. Arakawa was a classic pianist and

The industry mourns the loss of a legend. Stay tuned for more updates on his story. Our condolences go out to the family.

UPDATE: In an excerpt from an affidavit submitted by the Santa Fe Sherriff’s Department, the following was said:

Affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.

Hackman was found near the kitchen, and Arakawa was found in the bathroom with a space heater near her head. Both individuals had seemingly been dead for a while, according to the deputy who wrote the affidavit. As of right now, there are no signs of a gas leak. An investigation is now ongoing.