Morgan Freeman paid heartfelt tribute to late acting legend Gene Hackman during a touching speech at the Oscars this past weekend.
The shadow of Hackman’s passing loomed over the 97th Academy Awards after the 95-year-old was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Akawara, at their home in Santa Fe last week.
Details from a search warrant into their death confirm that the tragedy has been considered “suspicious” enough to investigate further, this in spite of initial reports claiming that no foul play was suspected.
Fans of Hackman desperately sought answers in the days following the heartbreaking news being made public.
One of Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, shared in an interview with TMZ that the family wasn’t entirely sure what led to the deaths, but that they suspected carbon monoxide poisoning could be to blame.
“The house is fairly modern, built in 2000,” Elizabeth explained, “but we don’t know if there were any issues with gas leaks or if there were any recent service calls to the property.”
It should hardly come as a surprise, then, that certain superstars in attendance for this year’s Academy Awards were of a mind to pay tribute to Hackman. Among them was Morgan Freeman, who starred alongside the late actor in the 1992 classic Unforgiven.
The pair also shared the screen in Under Suspicion (2000), which ended up being one of Hackman’s last Hollywood roles before his retirement.
As per Variety, Freeman began his speech last night by saying: “This week, our community lost a giant. And I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman. I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion. 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.
“Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.’
“I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you will be remembered for that, and so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend.”
As part of the investigation into the deaths, Santa Fe City Fire department have seemingly ruled out carbon monoxide leak or poisoning as they found no signs present at the home.
It’s reported that the New Mexico Gas Company also found no signs of this after carrying out tests on the gas line and around the residence.
According to the Associated Press, Hackman’s body was found in a mudroom while his wife was in a bathroom next to a space heater.
The update, offered in a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office search warrant, also detailed how there was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the counter top in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, stated that neither Hackman nor Arakawa had any type of wounds, gunshot or otherwise.
At the time of writing it has not been disclosed how long the couple had been deceased, though MailOnline claim that the bodies were partially-mummified.
