Gene Hackman’s estate won a partial victory in court on Monday. A Santa Fe judge ruled that images of Gene and Betsy Hackman’s partially decomposed bodies will not be released to the public. The judge heard arguments from attorneys representing the Hackman family estate.
They requested that footage and documents related to the couple’s deaths in February be kept private. Santa Fe County argued for government transparency and accountability. Judge Matthew Wilson allowed the release of redacted police body camera video and other documents.
However, no photos or explicit images from the autopsy reports will be made public. In March, police and the medical examiner revealed details from the autopsy reports. The bodies were found on February 26 in separate rooms of their home during a wellness check.
Neither showed signs of external trauma. Gene Hackman died of severe cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Betsy Hackman died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness caused by viruses from infected rodents.
The couple had lived a private life together in their Santa Fe house after withdrawing from Hollywood in 2004.
Estate’s privacy rights upheld
The Hackman estate argued they have a duty to protect Gene and Betsy’s property, including photographs and videos of their dead bodies.
Santa Fe County counsel said the couple retains no right to privacy in death under current state laws. News outlets intervened, saying there was a public interest in knowing how the deaths were investigated and handled. The mixed court victory highlights ongoing legal battles over the privacy rights of public figures after their deaths.
Gene Hackman’s longtime publicist revealed that the actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, did everything they could to avoid the spotlight in their later years. Publicist Susan Madore shared instances of Hackman’s commitment to privacy, such as buying land next to a garbage dump to ride his bike unobserved. Madore also said Hackman had turned down a CBS interview months before his death.
The couple’s deaths have sparked a weeks-long investigation that has drawn considerable media attention, contrary to their wishes for a quiet life. Betsy Hackman’s mother, Yoshie Feaster, is requesting that any videos or images of her deceased daughter not be released to the public or media. Feaster expressed concerns over how released images could end up online and force her to relive her daughter’s last days countless times.
She urged the court to respect her right to grieve in peace. A New Mexico judge recently ruled that video, audio, and photos can be released in connection with the Hackmans’ deaths, but their bodies must be blurred or edited out. Before their deaths, Gene and Betsy had been living a private life since Gene retired from acting.
