The autopsy results for legendary actor Gene Hackman are officially in — and yes, it’s as dramatic as one of his movies. Two months after Gene, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found in their Santa Fe home (New Mexico: not just for UFOs anymore!), the medical personnel have finally dropped the report — courtesy of Fox News, because apparently death waits for no slower news outlet.
Here’s the sitch: Gene had been fasting. Hard. Like, not just “forgot to eat breakfast” fasting — more like “I’m trying to out-hunger strike Gandhi” fasting. The autopsy found “trace amounts” of acetone in his system. FYI, acetone is what’s in your nail polish remover. Yep, Gene had so much acetone he could’ve probably taken off a whole salon’s worth of acrylics.
Apparently, when you starve yourself long enough, your body goes, “Fine, I’ll just start making paint thinner now,” and boom — acetone. Science is wild.
The toxicology test said his acetone level was 5.3 mg/dL, when normally it should be like, barely there. Basically, his body was screaming, “Bro, eat a sandwich!” but sadly, no one heard it.
There’s more: the autopsy also revealed Gene had a history of congestive heart failure (because apparently life wasn’t throwing enough at him), and some serious kidney damage from years of high blood pressure. Also, he had a bi-ventricular pacemaker installed in 2019 — which is medical talk for “we upgraded his heart to Premium Mode.”
And if that wasn’t enough, he also had “neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer’s Disease.” Because when it rains on your health, it pours, and then probably hails a little too.
The causes of death for both Gene and Betsy were actually revealed way back on March 7 — but the final autopsy just put a big ol’ period on the sad story.
Sending all the love, light, and giant emotional support burritos to their family and friends during this rough time. 🖤
