Wills revealed

Inheritance dispute over Hackman’s $80 million fortune looms!

Gene Hackman leaves behind a fortune of a reported 80 million dollars. According to his will, his wife Betsy Arakawa is his heir.(Bild: AP)

Following the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, the wills of the Hollywood star and his wife have now been revealed. One shocking detail raises the question: Will there now be a bitter inheritance dispute?

As Gene Hackman's will reveals, the Hollywood star is leaving his 80 million dollar fortune to his wife Betsy, who was also a trustee of his trust.

Children included in will?
However, it is still unclear whether Hackman has included his three children from his marriage to Faye Maltese, son Christopher Allen (65) and daughters Leslie Anne (58) and Elizabeth Jean (62), in his will. According to the Daily Mail, the fact that Hackman may have ignored his children, from whom he was estranged, in his will could lead to a dispute over the inheritance.

A legal expert told the British newspaper: "If he had died first and Betsy had survived, World War III would surely have broken out. His children would have gone berserk."

Gene Hackman is said to have left his fortune to his wife Betsy.(Bild: Lutz Schmidt / AP / picturedesk.com)

According to her will, Arakawa will transfer her fortune to a trust that will distribute it to charitable organizations and use it to pay off medical debts. 

As the "Daily Mail" further reported, Hackman, who most recently suffered from Alzheimer's disease, is said to have signed the last copy of his will in June 2005. However, it is unclear when the Hollywood star was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Arakawa died before Hackman
Investigations following the couple's mysterious death revealed that Hackman's wife had probably died a week before the Hollywood star from a disease caused by so-called hantaviruses. The pathogens affect the respiratory tract.

According to investigators, Gene Hackman died around a week after his Betsy. The actor, who suffered from dementia, had been living next to his dead wife in the villa in Santa Fe during this time.(Bild: AP/ Associated Press)

Hackman himself probably succumbed to a cardiovascular disease a week later, on February 18, and had probably lived with his wife's body for days before that in the house on the estate in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico

Son hired renowned lawyer
Lawyer Julia Peters has now been appointed executor of both wills, although it is still unclear how the estates are to be divided. This is because Hackman had already appointed his wife as trustee of his trust in 1994 and later made further changes. However, the original trust agreement could now be of crucial importance as it may have included Hackman's children as beneficiaries.

Hackman's son Chris has reportedly already retained a reputable California trust and estate attorney. "Hiring Katzenstein shows that he is definitely trying to protect his interests," a source told the newspaper.

He added: "The fact that Chris has hired a high-profile lawyer indicates to me that something is going on. I don't know why the daughters are not being represented. But that tells me there's trouble brewing."

Celebrated Hollywood star
Hackman, a former Marine known for his raspy voice, starred in more than 80 films as well as on television and stage during a long career that began in the early 1960s.

He received his first Oscar nomination for his breakthrough role as the brother of bank robber Clyde Barrow in "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967. He won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1972 for his portrayal of detective Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection", and in 1993 he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.