Two-time Academy Award winner Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe Summit residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday afternoon.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that the couple, along with their dog, had been found lifeless. While there were no signs of foul play, Mendoza refrained from disclosing a possible cause of death or estimating when they may have passed.

Hackman and Arakawa had been together as husband and wife since 1991. The legendary actor turned 95 in late January, but his frail appearance during a rare public outing last year had sparked concern among fans.

Over the course of four remarkable decades, Hackman built an impressive Hollywood legacy before stepping away from acting. By the late 2000s, he had quietly retired from the industry, a decision he had hinted at during a 2004 interview with Larry King, where he admitted he had no future projects in the pipeline.

Over the span of his career, Gene Hackman appeared in more than 70 films, earning numerous accolades along the way. Among his most notable achievements were winning the prestigious Academy Award for Best Actor in The French Connection and later securing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.