According to the late actor’s loved ones, Gene Hackman made his health a priority before his death. Doug Lanham, a friend of the “French Connection” star, told TMZ yesterday (February 28) that Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa , put him on a “strict” diet and made sure he “ate properly.” Lanham said Arakawa took her husband’s health very seriously.

In fact, Hackman reportedly only cheats on meals when he goes golfing with friends. When dining at Jinja Bar & Bistro, the restaurant he co-owns with Lanham, Hackman will order healthy items from the menu, like halibut or salmon.

Gene and his wife in their final days. (Photo: SplashNews)

Meanwhile, Hackman’s youngest child, Leslie, also told the Daily Mail yesterday that her late father was “in good health”. Leslie stressed that her father was in “very good physical condition despite his age” and exercised regularly.

“My dad loved Pilates and yoga and he still does it several times a week,” she said. However, Leslie said she was not “too shocked” by her father’s death because of his age.

The “Unforgiven” star’s youngest child also said her relationship with her late father was “very close” despite the two not seeing each other for several months because she lived in California.

“Everything is normal and fine,” she added.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Us Weekly, Leslie added that although her father is healthy, “his memory is fading”: “On his recent birthday, my father’s wife had to remind him three times that it was his birthday.”

Leslie is one of Gene Hackman’s three surviving children with his late ex-wife Faye Maltese. The couple separated in 1986, and Hackman married Arakawa five years later.

Gene and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, in photos from their youth. (Photo: Getty Images & Dave Lewis/Shutterstock)

The cause of death for Gene and his wife has not yet been released. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release Thursday that preliminary autopsy results showed no signs of “external trauma.” While there were no “obvious signs of foul play,” “this remains an open investigation,” according to Sheriff Adan Mendoza.

Meanwhile, official autopsy and toxicology reports into the Hollywood legend’s death are still pending.