Bruce Willis’ wife has admitted that Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths hit home, amid her own husband’s dementia battle.
Autopsies have revealed how Gene and Betsy died, solving the mystery that hung over the couple after their corpses were discovered at home earlier this month.
Betsy, 62, succumbed to a rodent-borne disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) on February 11 – and then lay in their Santa Fe house decomposing as Gene, 95, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, wandered about the luxury property confused and possibly unaware she was even dead.
Gene himself eventually lost his life to a cardiovascular disease exacerbated by his Alzheimer’s, several days after his wife, with officials noting that the final activity on his pacemaker occurred on February 17.
Now Bruce’s wife Emma Heming, 46, has shared her moving response to the horrifying story as she cares for her husband, 69.
‘So this is not something I would normally comment on, but I do really believe that there is some learning in this story, in regards to this tragic passing of Mr. and Mrs. Hackman,’ she said in a video posted to Instagram.
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming has admitted that Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths hit home, amid her own husband’s dementia battle; Bruce and Emma pictured in 2018
‘It’s just made me think of this broader story, and that is that caregivers need care too, and that they are vital, and that it is so important that we show up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person,’ explained Emma.
‘I think there’s this common misconception that caregivers, they got it figured out, they got it covered, they’re good,’ she continued.
‘I don’t subscribe to that. I think that we need to be showing up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.’
Bruce withdrew from Hollywood in 2022 after being diagnosed with the brain condition aphasia, which causes the patient’s language abilities to deteriorate.
In 2023, his family announced that his illness had ‘progressed’ and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Bruce has been surrounded by his close-knit blended family, who have rallied around him to help him cope with his health struggles.
He and Emma have been married since 2009 and are the proud parents of two daughters, 12-year-old Mabel and 10-year-old Evelyn.
The Die Hard star also shares a friendly rapport with his ex-wife Demi Moore, the mother of his elder three daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 31.
Autopsies have revealed how Gene and Betsy died, solving the mystery that hung over them after their corpses were found; Gene and Betsy pictured at the 1994 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
This past October Emma posted a throwback shot of herself with Bruce, quipping in the caption: ‘Doing selfies before they had a name’
Emma, pictured in October, argued that ‘caregivers need care too,’ adding that ‘it is so important that we show up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person’
In late December, Emma candidly discussed the complicated feelings she was grappling with on her 17th anniversary with Bruce.
‘Anniversaries used to bring excitement – now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach,’ she wrote.
‘I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the “why him, why us,” to feel the anger and grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love.’
Emma warmly continued: ‘I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat.’
In October, Demi shared an update on Bruce’s condition while speaking onstage at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival.
‘You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he’s at, he’s stable,’ Demi said in a conversation with moderator Alina Cho, according to People.
Demi had seen Bruce two days prior to her film festival appearance, when he enjoyed a visit with Rumer’s daughter Louetta, one – his first grandchild.
She makes a point of finding quality time with Bruce, holding onto the idea of ‘being able to share with whatever we have, for however long we have.’
The Red star also shares a friendly rapport with his ex-wife Demi Moore, the mother of his elder three daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 31
Bruce has been surrounded by his close-knit blended family, including both his wives and all his daughters, who have rallied around him to help him cope with his health struggles
Demi also shared her advice on having a loved one with dementia, saying: ‘What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at.’
She added: ‘When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game. But when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.’
Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Bruce’s star-making 1980s sitcom Moonlighting, observed last October that he was losing his ‘joie de vivre’ and ‘language skills.’
‘My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am,’ said Glenn in a devastating interview with the New York Post.
‘He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader – he didn’t want anyone to know that – and he’s not reading now.’
