Veteran actor Anupam Kher has paid tribute to Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, who was found dead at his New Mexico home.
On Thursday, Kher took to his X account to share a series of pictures of the actor. Along with the pictures, he also added a note where he recalled a memory of watching one of Hackman's films many years ago that made him "cry his heart out."
In his note, Kher shared how, once while shooting for his film Aakhri Raasta, he finished work early one day, returned to his hotel, and while flipping through television channels, came across a movie titled 'I Never Sang for My Father', featuring a "young Gene Hackman."
Sharing how deeply moved he was after watching the movie, Kher wrote, "The year was 1985. I was shooting for #AakhriRaasta in Chennai! One day, I packed up early and went to the hotel. There was an old black-and-white movie, #INeverSangForMyFather, on TV. A father and son story! I started watching it. The actor playing the son was young #GeneHackman. He was brilliant. I cried my heart out! Today, I know #Gene was old. Everybody has to go. But tears did roll out for the actor the world admired the most. Adieu, sir! I learned a lot from your performances! Om Shanti."
The Oscar-winning actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were all found dead at their New Mexico home, authorities have confirmed.
The office of Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed their deaths to Variety. There is no immediate indication of foul play, according to authorities, though the Sheriff's office did not immediately provide a cause of death.
"All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant," the sheriff told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The statement came before authorities had positively identified the pair, according to the publication. "I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone."
One of the industry's most honored performers, Hackman, 95, was a five-time Oscar nominee who starred in dozens of films. He received two Oscar wins, for The French Connection and Unforgiven. He had also won two BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globes.
Hackman always had a surprise hit up his sleeve, as in films like The French Connection II, The Firm, and even The Poseidon Adventure.
Hackman delivered an impressive array of performances that have only grown in stature over time. His portrayal of Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation is as strong and well-delineated now as when the film debuted in 1974. The same is true of his stoic promoter in the Michael Ritchie ski film Downhill Racer.
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