Legendary Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman died at the age of 95 along with his wife Betsy Arakawa at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 26, 2025. He is survived by three children from his first marriage to Faye Maltese: Christopher (65), Elizabeth (63) and Leslie (58).

Although Hackman once admitted that his acting career had affected his relationship with his family, leading to long periods of separation from his children, he later made efforts to mend and maintain a good relationship with them.

As for the cause of death of Hackman and his wife, the family suspects it may have been due to inhalation of carbon monoxide poisoning, although police found no signs of a gas leak. His daughter, Leslie, said her father had been in good health for several months before that and the family is awaiting the official conclusion from the police.

Leslie also shared that she and her father were very close, but because she lived in California, she had not seen him for several months before he passed away. She expressed gratitude to her stepmother Betsy for taking good care of her father and felt sad about her passing.

In life, the relationship between parents and children can face many challenges, especially when parents get older. Caring for elderly parents requires patience and understanding from children. Some experts advise that, in order to take good care of their parents, children should consider themselves as only children, meaning they should not rely on or wait for help from other siblings, but take the initiative to care for and look after their parents themselves.

In addition, setting clear boundaries between parents and children is also very important to maintain a harmonious relationship. Parents should not interfere too deeply in the lives of their adult children, and vice versa, children also need to respect their parents’ personal space.

Gene Hackman’s relationship with his children had periods of distance due to the nature of his work,