The complicated trail of inheritance for legendary late screen star Gene Hackman has finally come to light, nearly a month since his sudden passing.
The actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with weeks of investigation later determining Betsy died of complications from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with Gene passing away a week later.
Their wills have finally surfaced, putting an end to discussions of inheritance of his $80 million fortune (per celebritynetworth.com), and whether it will go to his children.
With his first wife Faye Maltese, the star welcomed son Christopher Allen and daughters Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne Hackman, although as it turns out, none of them are mentioned in his will.
Per BBC News, Gene left his entire fortune to his wife of 30 years Betsy, without naming his children. However, Betsy’s passing a week before her husband throws it for a loop.
The publication reports that legal analysts infer that due to the unique circumstances surrounding their deaths, his children could claim inheritance to his estate, although none have so far publicly commented on the matter.
California attorney Tre Lovell told BBC: “The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit,” although they would first need to prove that Betsy died before Gene to do so.
People also reports that the couple signed their respective wills in 2005. Betsy named her husband as the beneficiary of her estate, with additional medical and funeral expenses to be paid out of the estate. It also includes a provision that if they died within 90 days of each other (and he predeceased her), her estate would go to a trust and later to a charity.
© Getty ImagesGene had appointed attorney Michael G. Sutin as the first representative for his estate in the event of Betsy’s death. However, Michael himself passed away in 2019, with Julia L. Peters, chief counsel at a Santa Fe investment firm, then appointed as the second successor for personal representation of his estate.
Per the publication, a court order gave her an informal appointment as the representative for his estate, with Julia’s court documents naming Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie as Gene’s heirs.
© Getty ImagesLegal expert David Esquibias told People: “When you have a married couple, the issue is who dies first, and in this case, Betsy died first, so she left everything to the Gene Hackman trust. He outlives her. So he theoretically inherits from Betsy into his trust, and then when he dies, his trust goes to whoever his trust beneficiaries are.”
The actor’s estate will also include their Santa Fe home, where his and Betsy’s bodies were discovered alongside one of their dogs, and is now worth a reported $3.8 million.
© Animal Rescue Inc/ FacebookThe home sits on 12 acres of land, and the couple lived there for several decades. Gene himself moved to New Mexico in the 1980s to get away from the hustle of Hollywood, and the couple were actively involved with the Santa Fe community.
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