Morgan Freeman gave an emotional tribute to his buddy and co-star Gene Hackman on the Oscars after the actor and his spouse have been discovered lifeless at their house.
The our bodies of Hackman, 95, his spouse Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their pet canine have been found by a upkeep employee at their home in New Mexico on Wednesday.
Freeman, 87, starred alongside the late actor within the movies Below Suspicion and Unforgiven, which gained Hackman his second Oscar.
Talking on stage on the 97th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Freeman stated: “This week a community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman.”
He described working with him as a “pleasure” and added: “Like everyone who’s ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work.”
Picture:
Morgan Freeman pays tribute to Gene Hackman on the Oscars. Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
Freeman continued: “He received two Oscars – but more importantly he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.
“Gene all the time stated ‘I do not take into consideration legacy, I simply hope folks keep in mind me as somebody who tried to do good work’.
“So I think I speak for us all when I say Gene, you’ll be remembered for that and so much more. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Picture:
Gene Hackman along with his Oscar in 1993. Pic: AP
The tribute was adopted by others for stars who additionally died within the final 12 months, together with Dame Maggie Smith, Kris Kristofferson, Donald Sutherland, Joan Plowright, David Lynch, and James Earl Jones.
Later, Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg led tributes to music producer Quincy Jones after his dying in 2024.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
2:59
Gum and intercourse staff tribute at Oscars
Put up-mortem examinations and toxicology studies are nonetheless ongoing into Hackman’s dying, however preliminary findings recommend he and his spouse suffered “no external trauma” and will have been lifeless for days – if not weeks.
Hackman’s most memorable performances embrace New York Metropolis detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection and surveillance knowledgeable Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Dialog.
In addition to Oscars, he gained BAFTAs and Golden Globes, earlier than stepping away from appearing in 2004 to write down novels, a profession he stated higher suited his solitary nature.
