Ms. Arakawa, the wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died from the effects of a disease often caused by contact with droppings from infected rodents.

Betsy Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at the age of 65, New Mexico health authorities said. Here’s what to know about the rare but deadly disease.

Betsy Arakawa — the classical pianist married to Gene Hackman — died last month of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare infectious disease linked to rodents, New Mexico authorities announced Friday.

New details are being revealed in regard to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. In a police press conference on Friday, March 7, New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell confirmed that the Oscar winner died due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributing factor.

The partially mummified bodies of Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were discovered in February at their home in New Mexico.

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer In late February, actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their New Mexico home, along with one of their dogs. New details from the investigation revealed that Arakawa,

Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist and the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died of hantavirus, according to authorities.

Betsy Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-spread disease with a mortality rate up to 50% in the American Southwest, officials said.

Hantavirus comes from contact with rodents — such as rats and mice — especially after exposure to their urine, droppings, and saliva.

The suspected way Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, caught the rare disease that led to her death has been revealed.