New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Heather Jarrell on Friday revealed the causes of death for both actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, who likely died first.

Hackman and his wife were discovered dead at the same time last month, but Jarrell said she believes Arakawa died first around Feb. 11, while Hackman likely died on Feb. 18. The pair were found dead in separate rooms.

“Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms. Arakawa passed away first,” Jarrell told reporters.

Jarrell said her investigation found Hackman likely died of natural causes, per CNN. He was hypertensive, and had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease, which Jarrell said was “a significant contributory factor.”

She also stated that Hackman was in poor health overall, and that it was possible he was not aware that his wife had died.

“I’m not aware of what his normal daily functioning capability was," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that is what resulted in his death.”

Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a rare but serious respiratory illness that is usually passed to humans from infected rodents. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.