Gene Hackman honored by Morgan Freeman at 2025 Oscars after death: ‘Rest in peace, my friend’

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the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday night to give a special homage to his late friend in an extension of the show’s “In Memoriam” segment in front of Hollywood’s elite at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.Freeman starred alongside Hackman — a two-time Oscar winner — in 1992’s “Unforgiven” and 2000’s “Under Suspicion.”“This week, our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman,” Freeman shared. “I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene in two films: ‘Unforgiven’ and ‘Under Suspicion,’ and like anyone who’s ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer.”Follow The Post’s live updates from the Oscars 2025 for winners, red carpet pics and moreHe later said that Gene always said, “‘I don’t think about legacy.

I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.’ So, I think I speak for us all when I say, Gene, you will be remembered for that and so much more.“Rest in peace, my friend,” Freeman concluded.Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their sprawling home, along with a deceased dog, on Wednesday, Feb.

26.Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed that the actor and his wife had likely been dead for at least nine days before maintenance workers discovered their bodies.Hackman’s pacemaker recorded his last “event” on Feb.

17, Mendoza shared during the press conference on Friday.“According to the pathologist, I think it’s a good assumption that was his last day of life,” he said.Mendoza also confirmed that Hackman and Arakawa both tested negative for carbon monoxide and did not show signs of any external trauma.Their causes of death will be determined pending additional testing.