(AFP) Oscar-winning cinema giant Gene Hackman was found dead along with his wife on Wednesday in what police call “suspectful.”
Hackman, 95, and his classic pianist wife Betsie Arakawa, 63, died at his home in New Mexico with his dog.
Authorities initially said there were no signs of a foul play, but cited the search warrant, celebrity news outlet TMZ said detectives believe the death is “superficial enough to require a thorough search and investigation.”
Those reporting their death discovered that the door of Hackman's house was unlocked and open, with pills scattered next to Arakawa's body.
Arakawa appeared to have died “for a while,” but her body was in a decomposition state, TMZ reported.
Hackman's body was found in another room, fully dressed, with sunglasses next to his body, the report said.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not provide a cause of death to the married couple since 1991. Hackman's daughter Elizabeth Jean told TMZ that carbon monoxide poisoning could be blamed.
Two-time Academy Award winner, Hackman won dozens of film credits spanning the '70s, in recognition of the intense performances of all characters inspired by his troubled upbringing.
He is probably best known for his portrayal of tough and vulgar New York's Cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection.”
He won another golden statue 20 years later for the best supporting actor for portraying the brutal small town sheriff “Little Bill” Duggett in 1992's Western “Relentless”.
“Inspiring and epic”
Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola mourned his death Thursday.
“The loss of a great artist always causes both mourning and celebration. Gene Hackman is a great actor, and is inspiring and grand in his work and complexity,” Coppola wrote in an Instagram post.
Hackman, who was not blessed with the good looks of a top-notch man, portrayed his talent and versatility, took on a series of gritty roles, and provided thoughtful and intelligent performances.
“I wanted to act, but I was always sure that the actor had to be handsome,” the actor once said.
“We lost one of the true giants on the screen. Anyone could play Jean Hackman, and you could feel the rest of it for the rest of your life,” “Star Trek” actor George Wake wrote to X.
Born in Illinois during the Great Repression, Hackman came from a broken family.
His father left when he was 13, and one day he wore a mysterious tactic as he drove, and his mother later died in a fire.
He also served as an unpleasant stint in the US Marines and joined at age 16, lying about his age. However, he later used his personal confusion to flesh out his character.
Hackman dabbled in a series of jobs and gained attention in his 30s before becoming a relatively late actor in his life.
According to Hollywood legend, after enrolling in the Pasadena Playhouse in California in the late 1950s, he and fellow student Dustin Hoffman were voted “the least likely to succeed.”
After graduating, Hackman found an off-roadway for work and began turning his head. He won his first Oscar nomination for the best supporting actor in “Bonnie and Clyde”.
That Landmark 1967 film, in which Hackman played Clyde's brother Buck Barrow, put him on track for stardom.
In the 21st century, he appeared in “The Heist” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” in 2001, the latter earning his third competitive Golden Globe before announcing his retirement in 2008.
“It's really emotionally expensive to see yourself on screen,” Hackman once said.
“I think of myself and feel quite young, and I see this old man with baggy chins, tired eyes and receding hairlines.”
