Tributes are pouring in for the late Gene Hackman.
After Hackman, 95, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, celebrities paid tribute to one of their own.
Clint Eastwood, who directed and starred alongside Gene Hackman in the 1992 western, “Unforgiven,” told Variety in a statement on Thursday: “There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Nathan Lane, who costarred with Hackman in the 1996 comedy “The Birdcage,” also got candid about his time with the two-time Oscar winner.
“Gene Hackman was my favorite actor, as I think I told him every day we worked together on ‘The Birdcage,’” he told People. “Getting to watch him up close it was easy to see why he was one of our greatest. You could never catch him acting. Simple and true, thoughtful and soulful, with just a hint of danger.”
Concluding his heartfelt message, Lane, 69, said: “He was as brilliant in comedy as he was in drama and thankfully his film legacy will live on forever. It was a tremendous privilege to get to share the screen with him and remains one of my fondest memories. Rest in peace. Mr. Hackman.”
Many stars also took to social media following the news.
Gwyneth Paltrow, who starred with Hackman in “The Royal Tenenbaums” in 2001, posted a picture from the film to her Instagram with simply a broken heart emoji.
Tom Hanks echoed the actress’s sentiments, simply sharing a picture of Hackman.
“There has never been a ‘Gene Hackman Type.’ There has only been Gene Hackman,” he captioned the shot.
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Hackman in the 1974 project “The Conversation,” wrote a sweet message to the late icon.
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution,” he wrote alongside a pic of the pair on set.
Valerie Perrine, who costarred with the actor in the 1978 family/adventure film “Superman,” called Hackman “a genius” in her tribute.
“The great Gene Hackman has passed away. He was a genius & 1 of the greatest to grace the silver screen. I had the honor of working with Him on Superman. His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed. Goodbye my sweet Lex,” she wrote, referencing his iconic character, villain Lex Luthor. “Till we meet again.”
“A Simple Favor” director Paul Feig, meanwhile, called Hackman’s passing “so awful.”
“Gene was such an inspiration to so many of us who love movies,” the director wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “So many brilliant roles. His performance in The Conversation alone changed the way I looked at acting and what actors could bring to a role. Such an amazing career. RIP Mr. Hackman.”
“We have lost one of the true giants of the screen. Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was,” George Takei also wrote on the platform. “He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.”
Viola Davis, for her part, shared a candid shot of the late star, writing: “Loved you in everything! The Conversation, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Unforgiven—tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.”
Hours after the news broke, TMZ revealed that police wrote in an affidavit that their deaths are being investigated as “suspicious.”
Authorities said on Thursday that the door to the couple’s Santa Fe, New Mexico, home was “unsecured and opened” and that two of the couple’s other dogs were found alive.
The deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” after also finding an open pill bottle. Pills were found scattered around the room where Hackman’s wife and dog were discovered.
Hackman’s body, however, was located in a separate room, and there was “no obvious sign of a gas leak,” per the report.
