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It's a barren patch of grass under a tree festooned with wind chimes and decorated with a single conch shell.
Now, the Daily Mail can reveal that this unassuming plot is the final resting place of Hollywood great and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Despite it being a year since the acting titan died, there is still no plaque marking the spot and no evidence that any well-wishers at all came to mark the anniversary of his death with so much as a simple bunch of flowers.
But while Hackman is gone, the battle over his will continues with court papers exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail showing the document deliberately excluded all three of his adult children who were all estranged at the time of his death.
Hackman, who was 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe, , home by maintenance workers on February 26 last year.
Arakawa was last seen alive on February 11, 2025 at a Santa Fe CVS and was last heard from on February 12 when she phoned the doctor complaining of respiratory problems.
Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, died at their Santa Fe home within days of each other in February 2025
This is the unmarked plot - with only a conch shell - under a tree at Rivera Funerals, Cremations and Memorial Garden in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a year after the Hackman and Arakawa's deaths
The couple were buried in a quiet section of the memorial gardens during a private ceremony attended by Hackman's three children
According to the Santa Fe Medical Examiner, the 65-year-old perished later the same day due to complications from hantavirus – a respiratory disease caused by rats.
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Tragically, Alzheimer's Disease sufferer Hackman continued to live in the home for a week following Arakawa's death, unable to comprehend what had happened, before dying himself on February 18.
The couple were
None of the three have so far chosen to mark their father's grave but court records show the trio have filed for 'interested party' status in the probate case concerning their dad's will and estimated $80 million fortune.
Last month, that fortune swelled by $6.25 million when Hackman's 53-acre property in Summit Santa Fe – a wealthy gated community – was sold exactly a year to the day that the acting giant's remains were .
Along with a 13,000sqft main property, the buyer will also inherit a three-bedroom guesthouse as well as the studio where Hackman loved to paint.
The plot remains undisturbed, with the same wind chimes hanging from a nearby tree above the patch of grass where they were laid to rest a year ago
Last year: Daily Mail photos exclusively revealed the plot of land following their burial, with the same conch shell laid beneath the tree, but on top of a paperback book
Hackman's estate also received another $3 million windfall in December when 400 pieces of memorabilia and personal possessions belonging to The Birdcage actor were auctioned off at Bonhams in New York.
The sale included Hackman's trio of Golden Globes awards, which he got for roles in The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven, and The French Connection.
Also on the auction block was memorabilia from his film career, a 1988 treatment for horror flick Silence of the Lambs and charcoal sketches Hackman created in the studio of his Santa Fe home.
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Other artworks included a bronze nude by French sculptor Auguste Rodin and a painting called Figure on the Jetty by modernist artist Milton Avery.
'These are prestigious works with impeccable provenance, further enriched by their association with one of the greatest actors of our time,' Andrew Huber, the Bonham's head of 20th and 21st-century art, said ahead of the sale.
'Hackman was not only a collector but an artist himself, and his approach to collecting mirrors the care, aesthetic sensibility, and discipline evident in his own artistic practice.'
Gene Hackman's daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, were seen leaving a Denny's restaurant near Burbank, California, the day after their father was found dead. The two sisters along with Hackman's son Christophe are now battling over his $90M fortune
Hackman and Arakawa were both found dead inside their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in February 2025
Hackman was best known for his roles in The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven, and The French Connection (pictured), among others
Despite his Hollywood success, Hackman's personal life was stormy and all three of his children from his three-decade marriage to Faye Maltese were estranged when he died.
As a result, a copy of his will, obtained by the Daily Mail, shows that Hackman had chosen to leave the trio out entirely – instead, willing his entire fortune to Arakawa, who he married in 1991.
Arakawa's own will, also obtained by the Daily Mail, also makes no mention of his children and instead, asks that her assets be left to charity.
The probate process for both Hackman and Arakawa remains pending, with trustees continuing to settle credit card debts – most recently on January 26 when a $1,800 bill was paid out.
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Hackman's estate was also involved in a second civil case against the Santa Fe Medical Examiner in which trustees asked the office not to release photos taken at the scene of Hackman's death.
As in the probate case, Hackman's three children also filed to be intervening parties in the case, with a lengthy motion included in the file begging authorities not to release pictures of their father after his death.
That case was subsequently closed due to inactivity.
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