SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) 鈥 Forensic experts came to a heartrending conclusion Friday about the manner of death for actor Gene Hackman: he died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease on an empty stomach a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease took the life of his wife at their home in Santa Fe.

The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb. 26 when maintenance and security workers showed up at the home and alerted police.

Authorities unraveled the mysterious circumstances and revealed that Arakawa likely died Feb. 11 at home from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.

Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer鈥檚, apparently was unaware that his wife was dead.

鈥淗e was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that鈥檚 what resulted in his death,鈥 chief medical investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite possible he was not aware she was deceased.鈥

were ruled to be from natural causes.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Arakawa鈥檚 last known outing was a round of errands and shopping Feb. 11. She visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to the couple's gated neighborhood that evening.

Arakawa stopped answering emails that day. The couple鈥檚 cellphone communications have not yet been analyzed.

Hackman鈥檚 pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later, indicating an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said.

Hackman was found in the home's entryway, and Arakawa was found in a bathroom. Their bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe鈥檚 especially dry air at an elevation of nearly 7,200 feet (2,200 meters).

The revelations about the manner of the couple鈥檚 deaths jolted Santa Fe, the state capital city known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.

鈥淎ll of us that knew him should have been checking on him,鈥 said Stuart Ashman, co-owner of Artes de Cuba gallery, who cherished his encounters with Hackman at a local Pilates exercise studio. 鈥淚 had no idea. ... It鈥檚 just really sad. And that she died a week before him. My God.鈥

Experts believe Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and unable to deal with his wife鈥檚 death in the last week of his life 鈥 or seek help after she died.

鈥淭heir (the authorities鈥) explanation, I thought, was quite clear and plausible, said Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist in Virginia. "I believe they really discovered what truly happened in this case.鈥

Most older Americans with Alzheimer's diesease and related dementias live at home, and many receive care from family or friends.

Hantavirus typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas. This is the first confirmed case of hantavirus in New Mexico this year.

While hantavirus is found throughout the world, most cases in the U.S. have been found in western states. The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection.

Jarrell said it was not known how quickly Arakawa died.

, a kelpie mix named Zinna, also was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs survived.

Dogs do not get sick from hantavirus, said Erin Phipps, a veterinarian with the New Mexico Health Department. A necropsy will be done on the dog.

The sheriff considers this an open investigation until they receive results of the dog鈥檚 necropsy and finish checking into data from personal cellphones retrieved from the home.

Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including 鈥淭he French Connection,鈥 and 鈥淪uperman鈥 from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

Arakawa, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym.

Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O鈥橩eeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and Arakawa were investors in local businesses.

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This story has been corrected to show one of the causes of Hackman鈥檚 death was heart disease, not heart failure.

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Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington. Associated Press reporters Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Carla Johnson in Seattle contributed.

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