Actor Gene Hackman‘s longtime New Mexico compound is set to hit the market for $6.25 million, almost one year to the day after he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside the home.
Authorities discovered the bodies of the 95-year-old Hollywood legend and his pianist wife, 65, at the sprawling Santa Fe property on Feb. 26. Forensic experts later determined that the duo likely died about a week apart.
Arakawa was found to have died on or around Feb. 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a very rare disease that is spread by infected rat droppings or saliva. Hackman was believed to have died on Feb. 18 from heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Associated Press.
The couple had lived a very private life at their 53-acre estate, which Hackman purchased in the 1990s, making very few public appearances in the final years of their lives. They had resided together in the property for the duration of their marriage.
Listing agents Tara S. Earley and Ricky Allen of Sotheby’s International Realty told the Wall Street Journal that the couple’s personal effects have all since been removed from the 13,000-square-foot gated estate, which has been professionally staged for its listing.
The listing agents noted to the outlet that they are aware the property’s tragic past may deter some prospective buyers—noting that they did not add the usual celebrity premium to the home’s asking price for that reason.
“There will be some buyers that are just averse to purchasing a property where a death has occurred,” Earley noted. “There are other buyers for whom that doesn’t matter. We are selling the property on its virtues and all of the positives.
“We just priced it based on what we felt was the fair market value.”
Earley and Allen are also taking…