Gene Hackman's Will Unveiled, Revealing Surprising Details About His Estate

Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were tragically found dead at their home in Santa Fe, N.M., on Feb. 26, 2025.

Gene passed away around February 18, reportedly due to heart disease compounded by advanced Alzheimer's disease, just a week after his wife of more than 30 years succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

As new information unfolds about their unexpected deaths, the contents of Gene and Betsy's respective wills have been made public — and the revelations are truly shocking. Here's everything you need to know.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Gene Hackman's will revealed that he left his entire $80 million fortune to his late wife, Betsy. The two-time Oscar-winning actor named Betsy as the sole beneficiary of his estate in a 1995 agreement, and this provision remained unchanged when the will was written in June 2005.

In the event that Betsy had passed before Gene, the actor had designated his attorney, Michael G. Sutin, to take over the management of his estate. However, Sutin passed away in 2019, prompting Gene to appoint a new successor.

Gene then named Julia L. Peters the next in line to handle his estate. In addition to his will, the Unforgiven star had also set up a trust, the GeBe Revocable Trust, with Betsy as the successor trustee, meaning she was responsible for managing the trust after his death.

The court documents confirm that Gene's three children will likely inherit his estate, but it's still unclear how exactly they are mentioned in his will.

While they are the ultimate heirs, the specifics of whether Gene left them anything directly or if they inherited due to Betsy's passing aren't fully clear.

Betsy's will leaves most of her assets to Gene Hackman, but there's an important condition: If they both die within 90 days of each other, their deaths would be considered simultaneous. In that case, everything she owns — including anything she inherited from Gene — would go to charity.

Since Gene passed after Betsy, this rule could mean that Gene's $80 million fortune, which Betsy was supposed to inherit, might go to charity instead of staying within the family.

This puts Gene's three children in a tricky situation. Although they are supposedly named Gene's heirs in his will, they might have to fight for their inheritance because, under Betsy's will, her assets (including what she inherited from Gene) could be donated to charity.

The children could challenge Betsy's will, arguing that they should inherit from Gene's estate instead. They may also dispute whether the 90-day rule is applicable or explore ways to change the distribution of assets.

Sources suggest that Christopher has even hired Andrew M. Katzenstein, a well-known California trust and estate attorney, which hints that he (and possibly his sisters) might be preparing to contest the will.

Throughout his life, Gene Hackman was open about the challenges in his relationship with his children. The actor acknowledged that he had been estranged from them at times and admitted that he wasn't very present during Chris' formative years.

However, in the years leading up to his death, Gene had reconnected with his children and they had grown closer.

But, the question remains: Why would he put them in a position where they might have to go to court and fight for their inheritance?!