Gene Hackman’s children: All about the legendary actor’s three kids

nypost.com:

was found dead on Wednesday at the age of 95. He is survived by the three children he had with his ex-wife, Faye Maltese: Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 63, and Leslie, 58.On Thursday, Elizabeth and Leslie and Hackman’s granddaughter, Annie, released a statement confirming his passing.“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” the family told The Post.“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” they continued. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.” Hackman’s 30-year marriage to his children’s mother ended in 1986 when the couple divorced.

After parting ways with Maltese, the actor married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa in 1991. Arakawa, 65, and one of the family dogs were also found dead by police on Wednesday at the home the couple shared in Santa Fe, New Mexico.While law enforcement has opened an investigation into the deaths, which they have deemed “suspicious,” Elizabeth told TMZ on Thursday that she suspected her father and stepmother died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

However, police wrote in the affidavit that there was “no obvious sign of a gas leak.”Here’s more to know about Hackman’s three kids.Hackman welcomed his first child, son Christopher Allen, in 1960.The Oscar winner, who rarely gave interviews over the years, was asked in 1984 whether he had swapped hugs for handshakes with his son, as one of the characters he played in a movie.“No, we still hug to this day, and I thank God that we are able to do that,” Hackman told journalist Leta Powell at the time.