The actor’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of a respiratory illness linked to rodents, New Mexico officials said. Mr. Hackman had Alzheimer’s, which contributed to his death from heart disease.

Gene Hackman died of cardiovascular disease about a week after his wife died of hantavirus, according to the New Mexico medical examiner.

Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease,