Hackman children not named in will but may still inherit his fortune

The children of legendary actor Gene Hackman were not named in his will, but they may still inherit his US$80 million (HK$624 million) fortune.

The two-time Oscar winner left his entire estate to wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, a BBC report said, but she was found dead alongside Hackman in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home last month.

Because authorities, according to the report, said Arakawa died seven days before her husband, Hackman's children could now potentially inherit his fortune despite not being named in the will.

Hackman, 95, had three children with his late former wife, Faye Maltese - Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58.

Legal documents obtained by the BBC show Hackman named Arakawa as his sole beneficiary in 1995, with the will last updated in 2005.

But Tre Lovell told the BBC that the estate could default to them under succession laws, as long as there was no other beneficiary named.

Meanwhile, an examination of the dog found dead along with Hackman and Arakawa shows dehydration and starvation were likely what led to its demise.

A report from the state Department of Agriculture's veterinary lab details partial mummification and noted that while the severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death. The report noted that the dog's stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.

The kelpie mix named Zinna was one of the couple's three dogs. It was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa's body, while two other dogs survived.

Authorities have confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease about a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease - hantavirus pulmonary syndrome - took the life of his Arakawa.

Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, apparently was unaware that his wife was dead.

Hackman was found in the home's entryway, and Arakawa was found in a bathroom. Like the dog, their bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe's especially dry air at an elevation of nearly 2,200 meters.

Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to an incredible companion that was always at Arakawa's side, said Joey Padilla, owner of the facility involved in the surviving dogs' care.

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.

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