The final days of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have slowly come into focus.
Arakawa (65) is believed to have died on around February 11 from the rare, and dangerous, hantavirus. She was found surrounded by prescription thyroid pills and a space heater, neither of which played a role in her demise.
Hackman (95), stricken with a heart condition and advanced Alzheimer’s disease, survived his wife by a week. At some point on February 17, he suffered a fall in their Sante Fe home and did not recover.
Medical experts speculate that he may not have been aware that his wife had died.
The pair were found on February 26.
One of their three dogs also died due to being confined at the time. Investigators are of the opinion the dog was placed in a crate due to a recent medical procedure.
Despite three deaths in the house, which initially raised concerns of foul play, the whole thing appears to be a series of very unfortunate tragedies, and nothing more.
Theories involving a gas leak or robbery have been dismissed following an investigation.
As far as I’m aware, no one, in the whole of the media and social network rumour-spawning conglomerate, correctly guessed hantavirus as the cause of death for Arakawa.
Most people have never heard of it.
Adan Mendoza, the Sante Fe County Sheriff, hinted in a statement to the press that there was no indication that Arakawa was feeling unwell, while Hackman was not using communication devices of any kind in the last months of his life. They may find a few scattered details when her phone is unlocked, but there are not expected to be any surprises.
The chief medical investigator, Heather Jarrell, explained the symptoms of hantavirus to the press, who were all left scratching their heads at the official findings.
‘Hantavirus is characterised by flu-like symptoms, consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough … that can progress to shortness of breath and [heart] failure. The mortality rate is about 38-50 per cent.’
They further detailed that she died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and may have been ill for several weeks before her death. Those suffering from this virus usually die suddenly, as their lungs and heart are overwhelmed.
Spread by deer mice and rats, the virus is not so rare that it is unheard of, but it is not what you would expect someone to die from in Santa Fe. CNN says that New Mexico has recorded 136 infections over 50 years.
The Straits Times says it is ‘often transmitted through the air when people sweep out sheds or clean closets where mice have been living’.
Which makes me feel slightly anxious about the farm shed dirt I have bathed in over the years. We used to joke about picking up the Black Death or smallpox. That seems slightly less amusing now.
A Global Perspective on Hantavirus Ecology Epidemiology and Disease says: ‘The spillover of these viruses to humans can lead to one of two serious illnesses, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.’
The article goes on to detail the first known outbreak in the Korean War (1950-53) where it was called Korean hemorrhagic fever. 3,000 troops from the United Nations fell ill. It also made an appearance in the Balkan war of 1991-95 and in Finland 1942.
Indeed, its name ‘hanta’ comes from the Hantan river where UN soldiers were camped during the Korean War. Dr Lee Ho-wang, a South Korean epidemiologist and virologist, along with his team, identified the virus from a diseased rat. The virus was isolated and named in 1976 after over 20 years of debate. He died on July 5, 2022 at the age of 94.
His obituary in PubMed reads:
He contributed to humankind’s escape from the fear of this mysterious disease by developing all of the processes, from the identification of the causing virus and the propagation route of the epidemic hemorrhagic fever, to its diagnostic method and preventative vaccine.
It one of those lurking viruses that preys on military groups. US troops have reported cases of hantavirus in various locations around the world and medical reviews speculate that they are more prone to contracting it because they come into regular contact with infected dirt.
There is plenty of speculation about whether hantavirus is responsible for other scary parts of military history, including ‘trench nephritis’ during the American Civil War (as was also seen in the first world war) but, given its late classification, we will probably never know.
The type of hantavirus, in the case of Arakawa, causes flu symptoms, lung problems, and heart troubles. It is more common with the New World group and its symptoms differ from the hantavirus found in the trenches. The last significant outbreak of this variety is thought to be in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado in 1993.
Essentially, hantaviruses in Europe and Asia cause hemorrhagic fever, and hantaviruses in the West cause pulmonary syndrome.
Unlike Covid, which captivated the world, there are not many articles or stories about hantaviruses beyond medical journals advising people to be careful cleaning out sheds. That is, except for a recent outbreak in Argentina between 2018-19 that involved several dozen people. The World Health Organisation does not recommend anything specific beyond ‘being careful’.
And so the chapter on this story closes. No one did anything wrong. There are no negligent authorities. No lessons to be learned or things that could have ‘been done differently’.
Even the conspiracy theorists have given up, sulking off to scrutinise former Cyclone Alfred and whisper about human interference as the cause of its dissipation.
Gene Hackman was ultimately a victim of hantavirus too, as was one of his beloved dogs.
My Hackman journey began with Absolute Power (1997) where he starred alongside Clint Eastwood, Ed Harris, and Judy Davis. I’ll always love that film. Other favourites include Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Crimson Tide (1995), Under Fire (1983), Extreme Measures (1996), and Enemy of the State (1998). What I have not watched, and know that I must, is The French Connection (1971). Feel free to chide me for that.
All of us face a sad end, but Gene Hackman has left us with a body of work to revisit and enjoy from an era when Hollywood made great films with rich characters and compelling stories. He will be missed.
