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Gene Hackman died one week after his wife (variety.com)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Markie84@feddit.org to c/world@lemmy.world
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Gene Hackman, who suffered from Alzheimer's, lived in the house with his dead wife for a week before he died.

Of the three dogs living in the house, one died because it was locked in a carrier and therefore probably starved to death. The two free-living dogs were the only ones to survive.

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[-] Nougat@fedia.io 2 points 3 months ago

https://youtu.be/nWwKJxCa_Ao

Notable points:

  • Betsy likely died on or shortly after Feb 11.
  • Gene's pacemaker recorded last heart activity on Feb 18.
  • Betsy died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, likely transmitted to her by a mouse. Hantavirus mortality rate in the US southwest is 38% to 50%.
  • The pills in the bathroom were thyroid medication.
  • Gene's cause of death was heart related. He showed severe cardiac and pulmonary problems, had a history of heart attacks and related surgeries.
  • Gene's brain showed advanced Alzheimer's.
  • Gene did not have hantavirus. Neither had Covid, flu, or any other common respiratory disease. No effects of carbon monoxide were seen.
  • No mention of the dog, but with the time frames involved, it's not hard to speculate.
[-] the_fuzz@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago

I read in another article that the dog that died had recently come back from a medical procedure at the vet, and was being kept in a crate. The two that survived had access to a dog door so presumably were able to get food/water outside.

[-] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

Wasn't dog in a crate? Possibly died due to lack of water and food?

[-] Nougat@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago

Dog was in the bathroom closet.

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

Also, he was found to have not eaten recently, hut no indications of being dehydrated.

[-] Buffalox@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

So he was alone in the house for a week, while suffering Alzheimer?!
That's absolutely horrible.

[-] DokPsy@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago

Not technically alone but if he had advanced enough in the disease, he would probably not notice that anything has happened...

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago

Or he found his wife dead multiple times and by the time he could get to a phone to call for help he'd forgotten why he needed the phone.

[-] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago

It would have been too advanced for him to think of the phone in the first place at that point.

We’ve dealt with terminal Alzheimer’s in my family and it’s crazy that the only viable death is starvation/dehydration even in a care facility on hospice.

One week would have been a huge relief compared to the years of wasting, basically forced eating, and decline that we had to witness with my MIL. She couldn’t even smile for the last year and a half or more. We need end of life laws and to respect DNR paperwork much more proactively.

[-] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Fucking grim.

[-] thejoker954@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

God damn, that's an even sadder ending than I thought it would be.

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 0 points 3 months ago

Euthanasia is a human right

[-] BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

This is why I detest the idea of keeping someone alive at any cost that's currently the law, euthanasia should be legalized and available to everyone, at some point we all have to die, I don't understand why make people suffer into old age, we put pets down when they get too old and sick because we know that's mercy, then why is the same mercy not shown to human beings.

Edit: I am talking about auto euthanasia, aka an individuals right to chose his own end, not others making that choice for old / sick people

[-] exocortex@discuss.tchncs.de -1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Sorry, are you saying other people should be allowed to "put down" someone whenever they decide it's mercy? Are you applying your example about putting down pets directly to humans?

You know who had a big euthanasia program? The Nazis. They murdered people who were unworthy to live. They killed (among many groups of people) people born with disabilities and justified it as "mercy".

I think you meam something else so please be careful what you are writing. It's easily misunderstood.

[-] otto@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Then how were neither of them discovered until remarkable time afterward? His wife may have died before him, but nobody noticed gene well after he was dead. All of us still seems extreme less suspicious.

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

Joel?

But...you can't imagine a case where a notoriously private couple might not get visitors for a week? Visitors who wouldn't just leave when no one answered the door, assuming they weren't home or in the shower or something?

[-] otto@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 months ago

why so combative?

maybe I just don’t go around imagining abstract death scenarios. your life sounds…. interesting….

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

This is such a weird reply.

So was the other message I replied to.

[-] otto@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 months ago

Oh, you weren’t getting the response you wanted from your trolling efforts?

Boo fucking hoo

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

Ok

this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
7 points (100.0% liked)

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