Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman honoured his colleague Gene Hackman, describing him as a "generous performer" who had "won the hearts of film lovers around the world". The two-time Oscar recipient, Hackman, aged 95, was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their dogs at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.
During the 97th Oscars ceremony, before the In Memoriam tribute, an emotional Freeman, 87, addressed the audience saying, "this week our community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend"
"I had the pleasure of working with Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion, and like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone's work.
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"He received two Oscars, but more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world. Gene always said, 'I don't think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work'."
"So I think I speak for us all when I say, Gene, you'll be remembered for that and for so much more. Rest in peace, my friend."
The mystery surrounding Gene Hackman's death has now taken another turn. Officers believe the pair may have died several days earlier, following the grim discovery that their bodies had been partially-mummified.
In a new update, police have stated that they are yet to find any evidence of foul play involved in the deaths. It has led to the theory that suicide could have played a role.
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An investigator said in a new statement yesterday (March 2): "There is no immediate sign of foul play, although the lack of carbon monoxide has upended the initial theories about how they died.
"We are now looking at whether it could be a death followed by a suicide. Did Mr Hackman die suddenly from a heart attack and his wife was so distraught she took an overdose?
"Or could his wife have suffered an acute medical event which caused her death, and then Mr Hackman was in such a state that he had a heart attack and died? We are looking at all possibilities."
It emerged that blood tests showed no trace of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Following Hackman's passing, tributes poured in from veteran Hollywood stars including Clint Eastwood, who directed Hackman in the western film Unforgiven, and Francis Ford Coppola, who helmed the 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation, which featured Hackman in a leading role.
The revered film star, celebrated as one of the finest actors of his era, was a five-time Oscar nominee. He clinched the best actor award for his leading role in The French Connection in 1972 and later won best supporting actor for Unforgiven two decades on.
Other luminaries honoured in the In Memoriam segment 97th Oscars ceremony included Dame Maggie Smith, renowned for her roles in the Harry Potter series and Downton Abbey, who passed away last year at the age of 89.
The tribute also remembered Dame Joan Plowright, an Oscar nominee who died aged 95 in January. The British actress, married to Lord Laurence Olivier, was recognised for her Golden Globe-winning performances in the TV biopic Stalin and Enchanted April, which also earned her an Academy Award nomination.
The segment further commemorated The Hunger Games actor Donald Sutherland, Blade's Kris Kristofferson, The Shining actress Shelley Duvall, Mulholland Drive director David Lynch, among other notable figures from the film industry.
The awards ceremony, hosted this year by US comedian Conan O'Brien, has been acknowledging outstanding cinematic achievements since its inception in 1929.