LOS ANGELES, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The causes of the deaths of the two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife were revealed by authorities on Friday, more than a week after the couple were found dead at their home in U.S. state of New Mexico.
Hackman, 95, died due to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor, Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said at a news conference at the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
His wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, tested positive for hantavirus, a rare flu-like disease linked to rodents, and had hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, health investigators added.
Officials said Arakawa is assumed to have died first around Feb. 11 and Hackman is assumed to have died on Feb. 18.
The couple were found dead on Feb. 26 at their home in Sante Fe, New Mexico's capital. There are no signs or indications of blunt force trauma, officials said the next day, but they noted in a search warrant that "affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."
Hackman won Oscar award as Best Actor for "The French Connection" in 1972 and Best Supporting Actor for "Unforgiven" in 1993. ■
