Gene Hackman spent most of his adult life as an actor. The iconic entertainer worked on dozens of award-winning projects and made plenty of money along the way. While Hackman enjoyed a mostly quiet life in his later years, he never minded showing out when it came to his real estate portfolio. Gene Hackman owned several properties around the country, although he spent his final years in the Santa Fe home where he and his wife, Betsey Arakawa, were found dead. Hackman owned the property for decades.

Gene Hackman and wife’s deaths being investigated

Gene Hackman’s death at age 95 sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Police arrived at Hackman’s Santa Fe residence on February 26 to perform a wellness check. Once they entered the property, they found both Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, deceased in the main living space. One out of the couple’s three dogs was also dead.

While reports initially indicated the deaths were not suspicious, something has changed during the investigation. Investigators are currently trying to piece together what happened that led to the deaths of both Hackman and Arakawa after Arakawa’s body was found with pills scattered near it.

Everything you need to know about Gene Hackman’s Santa Fe home

While investigators scramble to figure out what happened inside Gene Hackman’s Santa Fe home, an image of the property and what he had created for himself is beginning to emerge. Hackman wasn’t a newcomer to the town of Santa Fe. According to several sources, Hackman bought the property just outside the city limits decades earlier and used his vision to create a bit of a compound where he enjoyed the quiet.

He spoke with Architectural Digest in 1990 about the property, insisting that he had transformed the 1950s “block building” into a mashup of multiple housing styles common in the area. The home also came with 12 acres of land. According to Hello!, Hackman added an additional house on the land in 2000. The grounds and houses are currently worth nearly $4 million.

The ‘Hoosiers’ star owned other properties, including a private island

Gene Hackman seemed like a creature of habit. While many stars hop from house to house in California, Hackman set down roots and stayed in Santa Fe. He once insisted the town just had a “magic” to it. While he spent decades living far away from the Hollywood sign, it wasn’t the only property he ever owned. Hackman had a house in Montecito, California, and even purchased his own private island.

Hackman loved Santa Fe, but he did call Montecito and New York City home over the years, too. As a young, struggling actor, Hackman rented a walk-up apartment in New York City with his young wife. Once he hit it big, the family moved and eventually settled in Montecito, California. While Hackman seemed comfortable in his surroundings at all times, he once described his California abode as “too formal.” He washed his hands of the property during his 1986 divorce.

Hackman also owned a private island. According to Curbed, Hackman owned Fawn Island in Washington State until 2008. He sold that property off, but he wasn’t willing to give up having a secluded location altogether. Reportedly, he traded the off-the-grid property for another secret hideaway somewhere in Canada. It’s unclear what properties were in his portfolio at the time of his death.