I don’t even know where to start. I’m still reeling from the news of Michelle Trachtenberg’s sudden passing last night, and it’s heartbreaking to think she’s gone at just 39. And now, waking up to the news about Gene Hackman and his wife?
And let’s not forget the Korean actress Kim Sae-ron, who passed just over a week ago at only 24.
It’s all so tragic and overwhelming. What the hell is going on? It feels like the world is losing so much talent all at once. My heart goes out to their families. This is just too much to process. Rest in peace to all of them.
Well, Michelle sounds like it might have been a problem with a recent liver transplant. The Korean suicide as many others who screwed up their careers have done and seems most likely the same for Gene and his wife.
It could also be that our exposure to celebrities has broadened with the rise of Netflix, Social Medial etc… So the death of a Korean star or some Youtuber with 10 million subscribers is now news to us.
I’ll be honest, Gene Hackman is the only name I recognise.
I really have to say, Gene Hackman and who? Yes, another actor (or two, now I read past the thread title) I’ve never heard of, but really doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence.
“Deputies responded to a welfare check request at the home around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday and found Hackman, Arakawa and a dog deceased, Womack-Avila said. An investigation is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said. The gas company is assisting in the investigation, The Associated Press reported.”
“Hackman was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom, and Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the countertop near Arakawa, the AP reported.”
It could be. Sounds as if they’ve been living quietly for the last few years so one or other or both might have had an incurable illness and decided to end it.
I wouldn’t call it too much to process (for me, personally). But a lot of people follow celebrity news as if the celebs are their friends or family. They genuinely feel shock and grief. I’m not going to judge.
I agree that with @Castro and @Roxi that the “news” cycle these days pretty much guarantees we’re going to see these “tragic/heartbreaking/shocking” stories almost on a daily basis.
The Hackman case is curious and sad. Although authorities were called in to check for gas and CO leaks, preliminary reports are there were no leaks. One dog in the house was deceased but two others (one in, one out) were fine. The front door was apparently open. What’s sad to me is that the couple had been “dead for some time”. Didn’t anyone keep in regular contact with them? No friends or family reported anything amiss, such as not answering the phone or text messages?
Unless they have children or a regular job, people (esp. pensioners) are rarely obliged to show up at certain times, their activities are rarely mandatory. And if they do the others are unlikely to raise alarms with the first no-show. I don’t find it surprising that (if) a household of pensioners takes weeks to get checked on.
ETA:
Compare that to @ MedeaFleecestealer’s recent case. Friendly people will avoid coming across like their neighbors and rather wait too long than act prematurely.
It also sounds like information that came out very early may have been misleading or incomplete. The early reports made it sound as though the couple had been deceased for some time, and that their last contact with anyone was two weeks ago with the workers.
Hantavirus is spread by, among other rodents, chipmunks. Their property in NM was undoubtedly populated by them. They were all over our Colorado property. However, why didn’t she call 911 when she began to feel the fever/chills/etc. that hanta brings? And why wasn’t his doctor monitoring him remotely? And why did people with so many resources have no one looking after them? Also, he was deep into Alzheimer’s…when she was dead, he would have just sat there and dehydrated. This is so sad on so many levels.
If she’s like many people her age (only 65), she probably thought she had a cold or the flu - especially this time of year. Thus why she went to the pharmacy. I certainly wouldn’t expect the average 65-year old to call 911 if she (only) has a fever and chills.
Do you mean monitoring his pacemaker? Those are checked maybe yearly or every two years unless the person complains of problems. Or do you mean checking on his general health? He was 95 with Alzheimer’s. He had a full-time caregiver in his wife. There wasn’t much more a doctor checking in could do.
I have the impression they were exceptionally private people and didn’t want anyone checking on them. Based on interviews with family members, she was fiercely protective of him and their overall privacy.
It is sad, though. I’m more disappointed that his kids weren’t checking in more regularly. But again, maybe the kids were just trying to respect the wish for privacy and not wanting to bother them.
It’s a sad tragedy. A while ago (one year? two?) a photo of Gene driving into town in his truck and buying a sandwich was shot by a paparazzi or somebody with a smart-phone - he was already over 90 then but seemed in good health, other than looking very thin. I would certainly not have recognized him.
