Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa laid to rest in private funeral

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa have been laid to rest following a private funeral.

The French Connection actor and his classical pianist wife were found dead, alongside their dog Zinnia, at the property they owned in Santa Fe, New Mexico on 26 February. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 65.

After an investigation, authorities reported Arakawa passed away earlier in the month from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and Hackman died around a week later as a result of heart disease and advanced Alzheimer's disease.

On Tuesday, editors at People revealed the couple had been remembered at a small memorial that recently took place in Santa Fe.

Close friends and family were among the guests, including the Hollywood icon's three children - Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 - from his first marriage to Faye Maltese.

No further details were released.

But in a statement following the shock deaths, Leslie insisted she and her father were "close".

"I hadn't talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good," she commented to MailOnline.

Meanwhile, police body camera footage taken on the day Hackman and Arakawa's bodies were discovered has been released by TMZ.

In the blurred video, a police officer observes that one of the surviving dogs was sitting calmly and appeared to be "guarding" Arakawa's body.

The officer also noted that another dog could be heard "running around" and barking.

According to a family representative, the two German Shepherds, Nikita and Bear, have since been rehomed.

"In response to numerous concerned inquiries about the Hackman's dogs, both Bear and Nikita have been placed in appropriate homes," a spokesperson stated at the time. "Both are safe, healthy, and adjusting to their new environments."

Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991.