Yes, like Francisco Franco, he is still dead—but we are getting more details in this awful mystery. Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, died around Feb. 11 of hantavirus (“transmitted through rodent urine, droppings or saliva,” yikes), and Gene, 95, died a week later. He also had “advanced” Alzheimer’s (though what “advanced” means, or if it was some of the many other forms of dementia, is unclear). Also unclear is why neither of their families checked on them. Their dog, Zinna, starved or dehydrated in its crate. So Gene Hackman was wandering in a daze around their home while his wife was dead in a bathroom and the dog was dying—as Thelma Ritter said in All About Eve, “What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end.”
Now, will we ever find out what kind of “domestic accident” killed Tim Kruger, the 44-year-old porn star?
