‘A true legend whose legacy will live on’: Anil Kapoor pays tribute to Gene Hackman

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor expressed his shock over the death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, who passed away at the age of 95.

The ‘Mr India’ actor took to his X account to share a series of pictures of Hackman along with a note in which he expressed that he is unable to process the fact that “the world no longer” has Hackman in it.

“Cannot believe the world no longer has Gene Hackman in it… His effortless performances in films like ‘The French Connection,’ ‘Unforgiven,’ and ‘The Firm’ are just a few times the world witnessed his genius. A true legend whose legacy will live on. Rest in peace”, read his X post.

Cannot believe the world no longer has Gene Hackman in it…His effortless performances in films like ‘The French Connection,’ ‘Unforgiven,’ and ‘The Firm’ are just a few times the world witnessed his genius. A true legend whose legacy will live on. Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/XAIIab8PzN

— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) February 27, 2025

The Oscar-winning actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were all found dead at their New Mexico home, authorities have confirmed. The office of Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed their deaths to Variety. There is no immediate indication of foul play, according to authorities, though the Sheriff’s office did not immediately provide a cause of death.

“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” the sheriff told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The statement came before authorities had positively identified the pair, according to the publication. “I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone”.

One of the industry’s most honored performers, Hackman, 95, was a five-time Oscar nominee who starred in dozens of films. He received two Oscar wins, for The French Connection and Unforgiven. He had also won two BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globes.

Hackman always had a surprise hit up his sleeve, as in films like The French Connection II, The Firm, and even The Poseidon Adventure.

Hackman delivered an impressive array of performances that have only grown in stature over time. His portrayal of Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation is as strong and well-delineated now as when the film debuted in 1974. The same is true of his stoic promoter in the Michael Ritchie ski film Downhill Racer.

In 1990, around the time he and Arakawa made Santa Fe their home, Hackman underwent angioplasty due to congestive heart failure. He continued to work as a screen actor for 14 years, according to Variety.

Hackman also penned three novels with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004), and Escape from Andersonville (2008). His 2011 work, Payback at Morning Peak, was a solo effort.

He was married twice and had three children. His first marriage to Faye Maltese lasted 30 years, from 1956 to 1986. Hackman married Arakawa in 1991. Arakawa was a classical pianist. (ANI)