Hollywood veteran Gene Hackman lived in his Santa Fe residence with the body of his deceased wife before he died of a heart disease days later, the US media reported on Friday.

Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease caused by mice, according to news reports that cited autopsy findings by the New Mexico police.

According to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, 95-year-old Hackman was suffering from cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor, his 64-year-old wife, and one of their dogs were found dead on February 26 in separate rooms of their Santa Fe home.

Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed at a press conference on Friday that surveillance footage showed Arakawa completing errands on February 11, the last day she was seen alive. She visited a Sprouts market and a CVS pharmacy before returning home that evening. From that point on, there were no further signs of activity or communication from her.

Hantavirus is a rare disease that has affected 136 people in New Mexico over the last 50 years, with a fatality rate of 42 per cent, according to Erin Phipps, the state’s public health veterinarian.

Investigators found evidence of rodent intrusion in some parts of Hackman’s property, though the risk in the main house was deemed low.

Hackman tested negative for hantavirus. His pacemaker recorded cardiac activity until February 17, with an abnormal rhythm detected on February 18, marking the probable date of his passing.

A maintenance worker discovered the couple’s bodies after noticing the door left ajar. Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor with thyroid medication scattered nearby, though it was confirmed she was taking it as prescribed. Hackman was located in a mudroom off the kitchen.

Authorities also discovered a deceased dog in a closet near Arakawa’s body, while two other dogs were found alive on the property. A necropsy on the deceased dog is pending.

Hackman, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, was known for his roles in classics such as The French Connection (1971), The Conversation (1974), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

He won Academy Awards for The French Connection and Unforgiven (1992) before retiring from acting in the early 2000s. Since then, he had lived a quiet life in Santa Fe, where he served on the board of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Arakawa, a former classical pianist, was Hackman’s second wife. The couple married in 1991, and she later co-owned Pandora’s, a home furnishings store in Santa Fe.