Gene Hackman's wife died from Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.



https://x.com/imadriienne/stat...cyEmBUptBuuUI3A&s=19



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quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
He was great in "The Conversation." The low-profile/sleazy electronic surveillance specialist role of his character had plenty of depth that made viewers really wonder whether or not he'd stepped into too much he could handle on his last case. His character was about as different from the old bully/gunfighter he played in "Unforgiven", as you could possibly imagine!

May he rest in peace.

I watched this the other night. A very intriguing movie that I'd say has held up well given its release date.

Reading various articles, it appears she died days before Hackman, likely on the 11th, since her emails after that date were all unopened and no other activity. And Hackman died on the 17th or 18th. Theory is that he did not know she was dead because of his Alzheimer condition. Strange and sad story.

So Arakawa dies of hantavirus, and Hackman of heart disease. How was she exposed, as you normally get it from a rodent, and not from a dog. The dog could not have brought a rodent into the home, being crated with illness. Maybe from before, or one of the other dogs.

Also, why a whole week between the two deaths? Was Hackman incapacitated for that time?

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
why a whole week between the two deaths? Was Hackman incapacitated for that time?

Hackman had Alzheimer's. Probably didn't even know what was happening, and without her feeding him, etc, that was that.

she was likely the sole caregiver for that time period. Without her care, he perished.

Hantavirus comes from mouse urine and feces and you can be exposed from sweeping up an area where mice have been. In Colorado one of my deputies died when he was exposed cleaning the barn in a property he had purchased. In the same area a young man who had been partying heavilly died after he went to sleep on the floor of the cabin he was in.

Hantavirus is not uncommon, you see warning signs posted around the rural West, particularly around old mines, ghost towns, cabins & barns and old Native American dwellings. I always thought it was particular to hot/dry climates but, apparently it's also found in humid/wet areas of the world also. Basically, wherever there is long-time evidence of rodents, hantavirus is a possibility if the area becomes disturbed and the virus gets into the air. I've heard of problems arising in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado where cleaning unkept areas can dust-up enough of the virus to get into the lungs.

As for the dates of death...were they sleeping in different rooms, thus Hackman even in his Alzheimer condition, took no notice of his wife not being around for the six-day difference?

It’s interesting to me that hantavirus is considered to be a danger for extended periods after the rodents are no longer in an area. This article says that it can be for several weeks, and even longer in humid conditions.
https://petshun.com/article/ho...after-rodent-is-gone

This is a story with a strange ending, and not one I would have ever expected in this day and age.
I guess it’s one indication that deadly diseases caused by viruses can still be deadly after all even now.

We get mice and voles in the garage. I spray the hell out of any droppings with bleach and let it sit for a day before cleaning it up.

Note that Irish Spring soap bars are an excellent mouse repellent, but the voles eat it.

New Mexico always has hantavirus going on. One particular problem is people collecting pine nuts and getting exposed. It is quite believable that they were exposed around their home, possibly not even realizing there were rodents present.

I'm just glad it wasn't something more nefarious. That gentleman had a stellar career.

There was a time that if Gene Hackman was in a movie, I automatically assumed it was worth seeing. I was never wrong.

If you work(ed) at the district level in the Forest Service, any of the other agencies responsible for land or wildlife, or on a ranch, you’re undoubtedly familiar with hantavirus. Every spring or early summer we opened up tack rooms, fire lookouts, and guard stations, largely untouched all winter long. Hantavirus cautions and remediation was always in the front of our minds.

Bleach and water solution in a pump up sprayer. A tightly fitting filtering mask was also worn, not the now famous N-95, but a respirator mask with a changeable filter. We read about deaths, like on the Navajo Reservation, and mostly took the threat seriously, but sometimes you needed to get in there and didn’t have everything you needed to do it safely.

Ms. Arakawa’s death reminds us that the threat is both real and still out there. I don’t know if there are many forum members who need to think about this, but, be careful.

As more information is coming out, sounds like Hackman's Alzheimer's was soo bad, he didn't realize his wife was not around or, missing for nearly a week as she had died in her bathroom, and he has heart failure in front of a doorway getting ready for a walk 6-days later.
Sounds like she may have been his primary caregiver and a nurse/caretaker was not employed.