Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe in the state of New Mexico on February 27.
According to BBC, Arakawa was the sole beneficiary in Hackman's will. His three children from a previous marriage were excluded, but if there is no other living beneficiary, the estate may still become theirs, according to a lawyer BBC spoke to.
The estate will be probated in accordance with inheritance law and the children would then be next in line to inherit, says lawyer Tre Lovell.
The 95-year-old and Alzheimer's-stricken Gene Hackman likely died on February 18, when his pacemaker stopped registering heart rates. Arakawa is believed to have lived until February 11.
The autopsy revealed that Arakawa probably died due to lung syndrome caused by hantavirus – which is spread by small rodents and can cause deadly infections.
