The Strange, Lonely End of Gene Hackman and His Wife

A story by Joy Williams at Harper's explores the final days of Gene Hackman's life, but the piece isn't focused on revealing any salacious new details about what unfolded at their home in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Instead of an investigative piece, Williams ponders how a world-famous actor ended up dying in such hard-to-fathom circumstances. By now, the facts are well-known: First, Hackman's wife and caretaker, Betsy Arakawa, died in their home of hantavirus, a rare infection contracted from rodent droppings. The 95-year-old Hackman, who suffered from Alzheimer's and heart trouble, lived another six days before a fatal collapse of his own. One of their dogs died of thirst and starvation in a locked crate. In all, it would be 14 days from the time Arakawa died until contractors spotted their bodies.

• "Sixty thousand people—more or less—die in this country every week," writes Williams. "The number of beloved pets who die of age or illness is unknown but might be less than the eleven thousand dogs and cats euthanized in shelters weekly. You'd think all we'd be doing is weeping and grieving, though we seem to take it all pretty much in stride. Every once in a while, however, news of Death's particular methods and attention to detail seizes our attention like the cougar does the clueless rabbit, and we suffer some serious confusion and fright."

In this case, the couple's isolation was nearly complete—no house staff, few visitors, no routine medical care. Hackman, once one of the most intense and reliable actors in the business, had retreated almost entirely from public life after his final film in 2004, and his three adult children were largely estranged from him. As Williams details, it all added up to the bizarre circumstances at 1425 Old Sunset Trail. Read the full story.