Gene Hackman's 'protective' wife helped actor find peace away from Hollywood during final days, friends say

One year after the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, inside their quiet Santa Fe home, those closest to the couple are reflecting on the fiercely private life they shared — and the devotion that defined their final chapter.

Close friends and others in the community say dignity, love and privacy shaped nearly every aspect of the couple’s life in New Mexico and even influenced the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Fly-fishing instructor Ivan Valdez, who owns The Reel Life in Santa Fe...