Gene Hackman’s Estate Asks Court to Block Release of Death Investigation Records 

US actor Gene Hackman holds the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 19, 2003. (AFP)
US actor Gene Hackman holds the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 19, 2003. (AFP)
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Gene Hackman’s Estate Asks Court to Block Release of Death Investigation Records 

US actor Gene Hackman holds the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 19, 2003. (AFP)
US actor Gene Hackman holds the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 19, 2003. (AFP)

A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports, especially photographs and police body-camera video, related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa after their partially mummified bodies were discovered at their New Mexico home in February.

Authorities last week announced Hackman died at age 95 of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease as much as a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — took the life of his 65-year-old wife.

Hackman’s pacemaker last showed signs of activity on Feb. 18, indicating an abnormal heart rhythm on the day he likely died. The couple's bodies weren't discovered until Feb. 26 when maintenance and security workers showed up at the Santa Fe home and alerted police, leaving a mystery for law enforcement and medical investigators to unravel.

Julia Peters, a representative for the estate of Hackman and Arakawa, urged a state district court in Santa Fe to seal records in the cases to protect the family's right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, emphasizing the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by media.

The request, filed Tuesday, also described the couple's discrete lifestyle in Santa Fe since Hackman's retirement. The state capital city is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.

The couple "lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and did not showcase their lifestyle,” the petition said.

New Mexico's open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of people who are deceased, said Amanda Lavin, legal director at the nonprofit New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. Some medical information also is not considered public record under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.

At the same time, the bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are typically considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability, she said.

“I do think it does infringe on transparency if the court were to prohibit release of all the investigation records, including the autopsies,” Lavin said Thursday. “The whole idea of those records being available is to ensure accountability in the way those investigations are done.”

“There is also a public health concern given that hantavirus was involved,” Lavin said.

She said the preemptive request to prevent the release of government records on constitutional grounds is unusual.

Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers” and “Superman” from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

Arakawa, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym.



Brands Ditch South Korean Actor Kim Soo-hyun Over Dating Scandal 

South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun looks at a tablet as he arrives at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards in Seoul May 27, 2014. (Reuters)
South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun looks at a tablet as he arrives at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards in Seoul May 27, 2014. (Reuters)
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Brands Ditch South Korean Actor Kim Soo-hyun Over Dating Scandal 

South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun looks at a tablet as he arrives at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards in Seoul May 27, 2014. (Reuters)
South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun looks at a tablet as he arrives at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards in Seoul May 27, 2014. (Reuters)

Brands including Prada have cut ties with South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun amid controversy over his relationship with actress Kim Sae-ron who was found dead in February.

The 37-year-old actor who gained popularity in South Korea and China over his role in hit South Korean drama series "My Love from the Star" and "Queen of Tears" has been accused of dating Kim Sae-ron when she was underage in a YouTube expose, citing testimonies from the actress' relatives.

Luxury fashion group Prada said it mutually decided to end its collaboration with Kim when asked in a client service chat on Monday. It did not elaborate further.

Dinto, a South Korean cosmetic brand, also announced it was ending its advertising contract with Kim.

"We have determined that there are substantial grounds rendering the fulfilment of the advertising contract unfeasible," the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Kim Soo-hyun's agency Goldmedalist referred to a statement given on Friday, when it denied claims that the two were in a relationship dating back to 2015 when Kim Sae-ron was a minor. She was also managed by the agency, but her contract was not renewed in 2022; the same year that she was involved in a drunk driving incident.

Goldmedalist also said Kim Soo-hyun, who has not commented directly, had been unfairly linked to Kim Sae-ron's death.

Kim, who was 24 years old, was found dead at her home. Her career had suffered since the drunk driving incident, and local media reported that she was in debt and working part-time jobs to pay it off.

Goldmedalist said the actress owed the company around 0.7 billion won ($483,759.50) in damages and penalties as a result of the drunk driving case.

In 2024, Kim Sae-ron posted a photo of her with Kim Soo-hyun which was quickly deleted, prompting speculation that the two were a couple.

A lawyer representing the relatives of Kim Sae-ron said in a media briefing on Monday that the late actress had decided to post the photo in hopes of hearing back from Kim Soo-hyun.