Gene Hackman's friends details his declining health in months before his death

Gene Hackman's health had been "really slipping" in the months leading up to his tragic passing, family friends have revealed.

The legendary 95-year-old actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered deceased in separate rooms of their Santa Fe abode on Wednesday. Close friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan, along with their son Aaron, shared that the star of 'The French Connection' had seen a downturn in his health "in recent times".

Chatting with People, Daniel disclosed that Hackman had become "essentially kind of home-bound", while Barbara noted that the Academy Award winner had ceased his routine of "quit riding his bike through the neighbourhood" about a year prior.

Aaron spoke of how Betsy had been striving to keep her husband "active and engaged", saying: "Betsy tried to keep him kind of active and engaged. She was still trying to keep him as active and engaged and as healthy as possible."

Aaron, whose family has been acquainted with Gene and Betsy for over three decades, described the couple as "were one of the tightest couples I've seen", adding: "They seemed like real life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real, (and) a lot of fun."

Barbara chimed in, highlighting the mutual pride between Gene and Betsy, who was a concert pianist, mentioning: "Gene was as proud of Betsy as she was of him. She had been a concert pianist. Over at their houses, she had a special building, a studio that half of it was her grand piano (and) another half was Gene's art studio."

Detectives believe Hackman had likely been deceased for nine days before his body was found, as data shows his pacemaker stopped working on February 17. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: "I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life."

It comes after cops revealed they were in the process of establishing a timeline of the couple's last movements and have gathered evidence to help them to do so.

In a statement during a conference held yesterday Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: "Now, collected from the residence, from this search warrant; there were two green in colour cell phones, two bottles of medication, one bottle of over-the-counter Tylenol. My request, medical records, and a 2025 monthly planner calendar. Those items were secured from the residence for evidentiary purposes."

Meanwhile, evidence found near Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa's body is "significant" and "of concern", police have said. Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza is said to have claimed the pills are "significant evidence" and are "of concern". He is said to have described the pills as "very important evidence" and said they have been passed onto a medical investigator.