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An emotional 911 call by a maintenance worker who discovered the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has been released.

The unnamed worker appears to cry and repeat “damn” as he says he can see Arakawa’s body “not moving” from outside a window of the couple’s New Mexico home.

He urged the 911 call handler to “send someone up here real quick” as he said the house the couple were in was locked.

Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 65, and one of their pet dogs were found dead on Wednesday after police carried out a welfare check. Two healthy dogs were also on the property.

The actor’s body was discovered in a mudroom while Arakawa was found in a bathroom next to a heater. They had been dead for some time, detectives from Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a search warrant.

There were scattered pills and an open prescription bottle on a countertop near Arakawa.

The couple’s deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”, the warrant said.

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There was no indication they had been shot and they had no other wounds, police said. The warrant added that the door to the property was found ajar and there were no signs of forced entry.

Preliminary findings from a medical investigation have found the couple suffered “no external trauma”.

Official results of post-mortem examinations and toxicology reports are pending, and the manner and cause of death have not yet been determined, according to the sheriff’s office.

Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were earlier found dead, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
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Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. Pic: AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales

Hackman’s daughter had earlier suggested the couple may have been killed by carbon monoxide – but the cause of death remains unclear.

The local utility company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were found and did not find any sign of problems, the police warrant said.

Tributes poured in for Hackman, who won an Oscar for his lead role in The French Connection, a 1971 action movie by William Friedkin, and another for best supporting actor in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 western, Unforgiven.

The French Connection. Pic: 20th Century Fox/D'Antoni Productions/Schine-Moore Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Hackman won an Oscar for his role in The French Connection. Pic: 20th Century Fox/D’Antoni Productions/Schine-Moore Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

He was also known for playing Lex Luthor in the Superman films of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Roles in the Francis Ford Coppola mystery thriller The Conversation and in the historical drama Mississippi Burning, where he starred as an FBI agent alongside Willem Dafoe, helped cement his career as one of Hollywood’s greats.

"Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve. Pic: THA/Shutterstock
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Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve in Superman. Pic: THA/Shutterstock

Mississippi Burning,  Gene Hackman,  Willem Dafoe. Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock
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Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe in Mississippi Burning. Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock

Among those paying tribute was the Prince of Wales, who said he was “so sad to hear the news”.

“Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality,” he said in a post on X.

The Shawshank Redemption actor Morgan Freeman said “bringing the French film Garde a Vue (Under Suspicion) to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman” was “one of the personal highlights of my career”.

Pic: Bob Greene/Lions Gate/Kobal/Shutterstock
Under Suspicion - 2000
Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman

2000
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Morgan Freeman and Hackman in Under Suspicion. Pic: Bob Greene/Lions Gate/Kobal/Shutterstock

The thriller, released in 2000, saw Hackman play wealthy tax lawyer Henry Hearst who is questioned by Freeman’s character, Captain Victor Beneze, about the murder of a young girl.

American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola hailed Hackman as a “great actor” who was “inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity”.

The Conversation. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
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Hackman in The Conversation. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock

Coppola wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation, which starred Hackman as a surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

Bill Murray, who starred with Hackman in the 2001 film The Tenenbaums, called him a “tough nut” and a “really good” actor.

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Bill Murray on Gene Hackman

Pic: Snap/Shutterstock
FILM STILLS OF 'ABSOLUTE POWER' WITH 1997, CLINT EASTWOOD, GENE HACKMAN IN 1997

1997
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Hackman in 1997 film Absolute Power. Pic: Snap/Shutterstock

Singer Sting said the world had “lost a legend” while actor and director Clint Eastwood said Hackman would be “deeply missed”.

Dirty Harry actor Eastwood starred opposite Hackman in 1997 political action thriller Absolute Power, where he played master jewel thief Luther Whitney.

Hackman married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991. He had three children, Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese, who died in 2017.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawyers call for acquittal or retrial on prostitution-related charges

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs lawyers call for acquittal or retrial on prostitution-related charges

Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs have called for him to be acquitted of prostitution-related offences, or given a new trial on the same charges.

Combs, 55, was found guilty of two counts of transportation for engagement in prostitution at the end of his high-profile trial in New York earlier this month – for flying girlfriends and male sex workers around the US and abroad for sexual encounters referred to as “freak offs”.

However, he was cleared of more serious charges of racketeering, conspiracy and sex-trafficking.

Marc Agnifilo, attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, speaks to the media outside the court.
Pic Reuters
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Marc Agnifilo is one of the lawyers on the defence team. Pic: Reuters

The hip-hop mogul has been in prison since his arrest in September 2024 and is due to be sentenced in October.

On Tuesday, his lawyers made a renewed request for his release on a $50m bond ahead of the hearing.

Now, they have filed another motion to the court, saying it “should either grant a judgment of acquittal or, at a minimum, a new trial” on the prostitution-related offences.

In the new filing, Combs’s defence team said the US government had “painted him as a monster” ever since his arrest, but argued his two-month trial showed allegations of a “20-year racketeering enterprise and of sex trafficking multiple women… were not supported by credible evidence, and the jury rejected them”.

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How the Diddy trial unfolded

They also say that to their knowledge, he is “the only person” ever convicted of these charges for the conduct he was accused of in court.

“It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults,” the filing states. “The men chose to travel and engage in the activity voluntarily. The verdict confirms the women were not vulnerable or exploited or trafficked or sexually assaulted during the freak offs or hotel nights.”

Read more:
How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

They describe the prosecution’s evidence on the counts as “thin at best” and say the trial would have been “totally different” had the rapper only been charged with the prostitution-related offences and not the more serious counts.

“Sean Combs sits in jail based on evidence that he paid adult male escorts and entertainers who engaged in consensual sexual activities with his former girlfriends, which he videotaped and later watched with the girlfriends. That is not prostitution, and if it is, his conviction is unconstitutional,” the filing says.

Combs, one of the most influential hip-hop producers of all time, faces being jailed for several years after his conviction on the prostitution-related charges.

But he was cleared of the more serious charges that could have put him in prison for life – and the verdict was hailed a “victory” by his team.

Immediately after he was acquitted of those charges, his lawyers asked for his release on bond. The request was denied by Judge Arun Subramanian, who heard the trial, and said Combs at the time had not met the burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence a “lack of danger to any person or the community”.

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Ozzy Osbourne is given final tour of Birmingham – with thousands of fans flooding streets to pay their respects

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Ozzy Osbourne is given final tour of Birmingham - with thousands of fans flooding streets to pay their respects

Ozzy Osbourne has taken his final tour of Birmingham – with his family experiencing the love of thousands of fans who turned out to see the heavy metal star come home.

“We love you, Ozzy!” came the shouts from the crowd as his cortege stopped at Black Sabbath Bridge in the city, a site that has become a shrine to the performer since his death at 76 last week.

His family and loved ones, including his wife Sharon Osbourne and their children Jack, Kelly and Aimee, spent several minutes taking in all the flowers, messages and other tributes left in an outpouring of love from fans.

The family of Ozzy Osbourne (left to right) Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne lay flowers.
Pic PA
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Jack, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne laid flowers. Pic: PA

Sharon was in tears as she took it all in. Supported by her children, she gave a peace sign to the crowd before returning to the procession vehicles.

Each family member carried a pink rose, wrapped in black paper, tied with a purple ribbon – the traditional Black Sabbath colours. The flowers bearing his name in the hearse were also purple.

Before reaching the city centre, the cortege had travelled past Ozzy’s childhood home in Aston. Just a few weeks ago, he was on stage at Villa Park performing his final gig alongside many of the musicians his music had inspired, from Metallica to Guns N’ Roses to Yungblud.

Heavy metal, reality TV and biting bats: Ozzy Osbourne obituary

A man passes by a mural of Ozzy Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath frontman, ahead of the funeral cortege, in Birmingham.
Pic Reuters
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Tributes to Ozzy can be seen all over Birmingham. Pic: Reuters

On a hugely emotional day, his presence could be felt throughout the city, with the star’s music playing in pubs and posters paying tribute: “Birmingham will always love you.”

For fans, this was a chance to say not just goodbye, but also thank you to a star who never forgot where he came from. His remarkable achievements from humble beginnings and continued love for his hometown, even when he lived thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, meant that for many, the loss feels incredibly personal.

People gather around tributes at the Black Sabbath Bridge.
Pic: Reuters
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The Black Sabbath Bridge has become a shrine in recent days. Pic: Reuters

‘The Prince of Laughter – not Darkness’

Graham Wright, a roadie who worked with Black Sabbath in the 1970s and beyond, up to the Back To The Beginning reunion gig at Villa Park, told Sky News he would remember Ozzy not by his traditional nickname, the Prince of Darkness – but as the Prince of Laughter instead.

“It was a shock he left us so soon after [the show],” he said. “The show was tough for him but he was determined to say goodbye to his fans, that was the main thing. It was important for all four of [Black Sabbath] to get back together and do a farewell.

“The tears will be flowing today to see the Ozz man – the Prince of Laughter, not Darkness. He really was. We’ll all miss him.”

A person gestures as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne.
Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

‘My mum used to say he was a lovely boy’

Chris Mason, general manager of The Brasshouse pub, which is next to Black Sabbath Bridge, said music by the band and Ozzy’s solo material had been played pretty much “on loop” since his death.

“I’m a metal fan and Ozzy being the godfather of the scene – if not for Ozzy and Black Sabbath, we wouldn’t have heavy metal,” he said. “This is what Birmingham is about, bringing people together, and Ozzy and Black Sabbath did that.

“He was Mr Birmingham and his family have brought him back.”

Mohabbat Ali, who used to live on the same street as Ozzy’s childhood home, said the property had become one of the focal points for tributes in the city.

Describing what it was like living near him, he said: “He played guitars, very loud at night sometimes, but my mum used to say he was a lovely boy.”

From an era of preening rock gods, Ozzy was the real deal


Katie Spencer

Katie Spencer

Arts and entertainment correspondent

The sea of black was always a given – but this wasn’t about respecting funeral traditions. Ozzy himself had previously said he wanted his send-off, when it came, to be a celebration and not a “mope-fest”.

This was his final tour in the city that meant so much to him.

For fans, he meant so much to them.

For his family, the emotion was raw.
Sharon, his soulmate, has spent her life and career organising his shows, and it was clear how hard this day was for her.

After they left, fans flooded the streets to lay flowers.

Not since David Bowie has an artist’s death prompted such an outpouring of emotion. From an era of preening rock gods, Ozzy was the real deal – one of the most notorious figures in rock, but a man who remained as Brummie as can be.

‘A true legend who never forgot his roots’

Birmingham’s lord mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, also attended the procession and spoke of the city’s pride in Ozzy.

“What a great honour for us to have him here one last time,” he said. “The love for Ozzy – well, you can feel it in the air.”

The star put both Aston and Birmingham on the map, he said, and always took the time to get to know people.

Mr Iqbal said Ozzy sent him a letter after reading on the mayor’s website biography how he had struggled with dyslexia at school – something the star identified with.

“I’ve got the letter in a frame and it’s in my office… he was just a natural human being, down to earth. You wouldn’t have known he was a rock star – but he was a true legend, who never forgot his roots.”

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs asks judge to release him on $50m bond as he awaits sentencing

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs asks judge to release him on m bond as he awaits sentencing

Disgraced hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a judge to release him on a $50m bond as he waits to be sentenced for prostitution-related offences.

Combs’s lawyer has argued that conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn are dangerous and noted that others convicted of similar offences were typically released before sentencing.

“Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct,” Marc Agnifilo said in a court filing on Tuesday.

“In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of John, and certainly the only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend.”

A “John” in the US is a slang term for somebody who hires a prostitute.

A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors have previously insisted he remains a flight risk and should therefore not be granted bail.

The 55-year-old, one of the most influential hip-hop producers of all time, faces up to a decade in prison after he was convicted earlier this month of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The charges relate to how he flew people around the US, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, for sexual encounters.

Read more:
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
What it was like in court for start of P Diddy trial

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
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Combs knelt at his chair and appeared to pray after the verdicts

Combs was cleared of three more serious charges – two for sex trafficking and one for racketeering conspiracy – following his landmark trial in New York.

A conviction on one of those charges could have put him in prison for life.

Immediately after he was acquitted of those charges on 2 July, Mr Agnifilo had asked that Combs be released on bond.

But Judge Arun Subramanian denied it, saying Combs at the time had not met the burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence a “lack of danger to any person or the community”.

Combs is the latest celebrity inmate to be locked up at MDC Brooklyn, the only federal jail in New York City, joining a list that includes R Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

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