Gene Hackman Buried in an Unmarked Grave

Gene Hackman's strained relationship with his children became evident when details emerged about the renowned actor's solitary death, days after his wife Betsy Arakawa passed away. Suspicions were confirmed when it was revealed that the Hollywood star had not included any of his descendants in his will. Father to three children, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie, the two-time Oscar winner ended his days alone, suffering from Alzheimer's, and has been buried in an unmarked grave.

The Egyptians deliberately erased the names of their cursed pharaohs from obelisks, columns, and other public spaces to erase them from history. A similar fate seems to have befallen the Hollywood star, whose children have buried him in a remote plot in Santa Fe, in a grave without a headstone, name, or date. Only a flower marks the spot where the actor and his wife rest, according to MailOnline.

The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were discovered last February in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home, after being dead for several days. Forensic tests determined that she had died a week before her husband due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease caused by exposure to rodents or their droppings. The star of 'The French Connection' was left alone, disoriented, and unaware that his wife had died due to his advanced Alzheimer's. Unable to care for himself, he went several days without eating or drinking, surrounded by filth and disorder until congestive heart failure and kidney problems ended his life.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa met in the mid-80s at a Los Angeles gym where she worked part-time to fund her music career. The connection between the Hollywood star and the classical pianist was immediate, and the more than 30-year age difference was no barrier to their blossoming love. They officially began dating in 1984, and she moved into his Santa Fe home while the actor was still going through the divorce process with his first wife.

The couple married in 1991 and always maintained a discreet life until 2004 when they decided to step away from the public eye permanently. The last time they were seen together at an event was at the 2003 Golden Globes. Little was known about Hackman since then, although the last images taken of the actor on the streets of Santa Fe showed his fragile health. The news of their deaths shocked the public.

Two months after their bodies were found, the couple has been buried without any fanfare, far from the spotlight that illuminated the actor's life for decades. Hackman had been estranged from his children, whom he had excluded from his will. With an estimated fortune of around $80 million, it remains to be seen what will happen to his estate. Hackman had left everything to his wife, but since Betsy died before him, the children would have become his direct legal heirs again.