Gene Hackman’s will has been around for a long time — two decades, to be exact. And now that both he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have passed away, things are getting complicated. His will, which was last updated in 2005, left everything to Betsy.
But since she died before him, the big question is: what happens to his $80 million estate now? His three adult children weren’t mentioned in the will, which makes the situation even messier.
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Legal experts say contesting something that’s been in place for 20 years is really tough, but Hackman’s kids might still have a shot at inheriting.
Gene Hackman signed his will 20 years ago, making it hard to fight
Back in June 2005, Hackman and Betsy put their wills in place. And according to legal experts, the fact that they signed them so long ago makes them much harder to challenge now.
“In this situation, Gene Hackman and his wife did not sign their will and trust in 2025 or 2024,” says trust and family law attorney David A. Esquibias.
“But, had that been the case, I think there was more likelihood that there’s gonna be a contest. But if you look at the dates of the will, they’re 2005.”
Esquibias explains that since Hackman was still younger and mentally sharp back then, proving that he was manipulated or not of sound mind at the time would be a long shot.
“Contesting a 20-year-old document is exponentially harder than contesting a deathbed-signed document,” he adds.
His wife Betsy was supposed to handle things, but she passed away first
When Hackman and Betsy signed their wills, they named each other as the personal representatives of their estates. That meant if one of them passed first, the other would take charge.
Betsy was also listed as the successor trustee for the Gene Hackman Living Trust. But since she died before Hackman, things got complicated fast.
Now, nobody knows for sure who the beneficiaries of his trust are. That info hasn’t been made public, and because of that, it’s impossible to say if his kids — Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie — were included at all.
Who actually gets Gene Hackman’s fortune?
So, if the will gave everything to Betsy, but she died first, where does all that money go now? Well, legal experts say that his estate might go through something called intestate succession, meaning his kids could actually end up inheriting by default.
California attorney Tre Lovell told the BBC that “the estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit.”
But there’s a catch — they would also have to prove that the will is invalid because of the timing of Betsy’s death.
Hackman’s children have stayed quiet, but one may have hired a lawyer
Hackman’s three kids haven’t said anything publicly about the situation, but it looks like at least one of them might be gearing up for a legal fight.
According to TMZ, Christopher Hackman has apparently hired trust and estate attorney Andrew M. Katzenstein. But Esquibias says that might not mean much.
“I don’t think in this case it probably means too much,” he says, adding that it could just be about getting legal advice rather than actually fighting the will.
Betsy’s will adds another layer of confusion
Betsy’s own will also plays a role in this whole mess. She stated that whatever was left of her estate should be put into a charitable trust. That trust was meant to fund causes that she and Hackman cared about.
On top of that, her will mentioned a separate, private statement where she might have listed specific people she wanted to inherit her personal property.
So, between Betsy’s charitable intentions and Hackman’s old will, the fate of his fortune is still pretty unclear.
Authorities revealed shocking details about their deaths
If the estate situation wasn’t dramatic enough, the way Hackman and Betsy passed away added another tragic element. Authorities found them both dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26.
Betsy had actually died a full week before Hackman from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and deadly virus. Meanwhile, Hackman, who had been dealing with severe heart disease and advanced Alzheimer’s, passed away about a week later.
That means he spent an unknown amount of time alone in the house with his wife’s decomposing body before he, too, died.
Hackman once admitted he wasn’t the best father
Though Hackman’s kids are rarely in the spotlight, he did talk about his struggles as a father in past interviews.
“You become very selfish as an actor,” he told The New York Times in 1989. “Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me.”
He also spoke about how hard it was for his children to grow up with such a famous father. “It’s tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity,” he told The Irish Independent in 2000. “I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up.”
His children and granddaughter shared a heartfelt tribute
Despite whatever struggles they had as a family, Hackman’s children and granddaughter made it clear they loved him deeply. After his passing, they released a statement expressing their grief.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” they said.
“We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
