Gene Hackman's children not included in $80 million estate
The children of deceased actor Gene Hackman have reportedly not been included in his estate inheritance worth $80 million (P4.5 billion).
In a report by BBC, Hackman's released will stated that he is leaving his entire fortune to his wife Betsy Arakawa, naming her as his sole beneficiary in 1995, with the last update to the will in 2005.
However, this is complicated by how Arakawa was also found dead with him in their home in New Mexico in late February.
Since authorities said that Arakawa passed away seven days earlier than her husband, legal experts noted that Hackman's children with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese—Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58—may still be able to acquire his fortune despite not being named in the will.
"The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit," said attorney Tre Lovell.
Nevertheless, they will still need to prove that the will is invalid because Arakawa died before Hackman.
The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, spoke with a source close to the Hackman family who said that the veteran actor had previously set up a trust, and that he is going to "ultimately leave everything to the trust" in terms of his assets.
A trust is a legal arrangement in which an individual or party (the trustee) manages assets for the benefit of a benificiary.
Hackman previously opened up about how he had a rocky relationship with his kids due to his career in showbiz.
"It's tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity. I couldn't always be home with them when they were growing up, and then, living in California, they've had my success always hanging over their heads," he said in an interview with The Irish Independent in 2000.
Despite this, his daughters and granddaughter grieved his passing in a statement, highlighting how he "was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career" and how they "will miss him sorely, and are devastated by the loss."
Police said that Hackman died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is caused by "plaque buildup in arterial walls."
Medical investigators also revealed that the Hollywood actor had Alzheimer's in an "advanced state" and said it was "possible that he was not aware that Arakawa was deceased."
Arakawa, meanwhile, suffered hantavirus pulmonary syndrome before she died. The virus is "spread by infected rodents through their urine, feces, and saliva, causing serious illness and sometimes death," per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One of their pet dogs was also found dead with them, having "most likely died of dehydration or starvation," per a necropsy report.
Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner, was credited for intense performances of everyman characters inspired by his troubled upbringing, notching up dozens of movie credits extending into his 70s.
He is perhaps best known as vulgar New York cop Jimmy Popeye Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller The French Connection, for which he won an Oscar for best actor.
