Entertainment

How Gene Hackman’s Surviving Dogs Assisted First Responders

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New heartbreaking details are coming to light about the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman and their dog Zinna, and the role the couple’s other two dogs played in locating their bodies.

Authorities previously shared that Betsy, 65, died from hantavirus, a flu-like virus linked to rodent droppings, around one week before Gene, 95, died from severe heart disease, high blood pressure and advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Gene was likely alone in the home with his dead wife for days before both their bodies were discovered on Feb. 26.

Betsy was found collapsed in a bathroom near a space heater and scattered pills, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE.

Paramedics with the Santa Fe Fire Department entered the couple’s property through the front door and saw Betsy lying on the nearby bathroom floor, Fire Chief Brian Moya told USA Today, though they initially didn’t see anyone else despite 30 minutes of searching.

Moya told the outlet that amidst their search, the couple’s two living dogs — Bear and Nikita — continuously ran up to them barking and running off in a different direction.

Betsy and Gene Hackman in 1991.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

“They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!’ ” Moya explained. The first responders followed one of the dogs to a mudroom at the back of the home where they discovered Gene’s body on the floor.

The backdoor had been left open allowing Bear and Nikita to roam freely in and out of the house. However, Gene and Betsy’s third dog, Zinna, a kelpie mix, was found dead in her crate. Zinna had been recovering from a “major surgery” in January and was on crate rest, Robert Gruda, owner of the Gruda Veterinary Hospital told USA Today.

According to the outlet, hospital staff grew concerned after Betsy didn’t come in to pick up some specialized dog food and medication for Zinna on Feb. 11. That was also the last day Betsy was seen alive.

Betsy and Gene Hackman in 2000.

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty

“She was devoted to those dogs,” Gruda told USA Today. “She was consistent, predictable. We knew something was wrong when she didn’t pick up the food on time.”

He praised the late classical pianist adding, “She was an excellent dog owner, excellent caretaker to those dogs. She really doted on them.”

The couple’s surviving dogs have been transported to a local pet daycare facility in the wake of their owners’ deaths.

Animal Rescue, Inc., a local shelter where Gene got at least one of his dogs, posted a tribute to the late actor on Feb. 27, writing, “We are mourning the passing of our most famous adopter Gene Hackman. He was an amazing actor and dog lover.”

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Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, previously shared in a press conference that the last activity on Gene’s pacemaker was registered on Feb. 17. Jarrell said it is “reasonable to conclude” Hackman, who had no food in his stomach at the time of his death, died the following day. Hackman showed no signs of dehydration, however.

“It is reasonable to conclude that Ms. Hackman passed first,” said Jarrell.

Erin Phipps, a veterinarian with the New Mexico Health Department, said investigators found signs of “rodent entry” in outlying structures on the property, though the assessed risk in the main house was deemed “low.”

Entertainment

Taylor Swift-approved singer scores invite to her wedding celebration with Travis Kelce: report

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Sombr will remember the night.

The singer has scored an invite to pal Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding celebration.

According to TMZ, sources shared that the artist is set to attend the couple’s July 3 party at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

A rep for Sombr didn’t immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

The artists have become close friends in recent months, even hanging out together after a New York Knicks game in The Big Apple.

Sombr also performed during Swift’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this month.

At the ceremony, Sombr and Kelce shared a hug and chatted for a bit, per a TikTok video.

Karlie Kloss, Zoë Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Suki Waterhouse, the Haim sisters, Gigi Hadid and Selena Gomez are among other A-listers who have reportedly received invites.

TMZ previously reported that Swift was calling friends to personally invite them to her special day and that she had an a ironclad non-disclosure agreement in place.

The outlet noted that guests who received a wedding invitation were required to sign an NDA before receiving anymore details about the event.

Sources added that when a guest confirmed their attendance, they were then sent the link to sign.

Guests are prohibited from sharing details about the wedding and will be penalized if violations occur.

Rumors originally swirled the Swift and Kelce, both 36, would tie the knot in Rhode Island, before it was revealed that the couple is saying “I do” at MSG.

As the duo’s pre-wedding festivities amp up, Page Six revealed that Kelce partied with close friends at Bird Streets Club on Friday night.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a small group of women wearing black, with one dressed in white, were spotted on one of the rooftop balconies of Swift’s Rhode Island mansion.

One of the songwriter’s best friends Abigail Anderson Berard was later seen on the property carrying her toddler.

The Kansas City Chiefs player proposed to the Grammy winner after two years of dating in August 2025.

Swift and Kelce confirmed the news on Instagram at the time, writing alongside proposal shots, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The tight end popped the question in the backyard of his Lee’s Summit, Missouri, mansion.

“He got her out there, they were about to go out to dinner, and he said, ‘Let’s go out and have a glass of wine,’ … They got out there, and that’s when he asked her, and it was beautiful,” Kelce’s dad, Ed, told ABC News 5 Cleveland at the time.

Ed gushed, “They started FaceTiming me and their mother [Donna Kelce] and her folks [mom Andrea Swift and dad Scott Swift] to make sure everybody knew. So, to see them together is great.”

Entertainment

Daveigh Chase’s mom breaks silence on actress’ death

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Daveigh Chase’s mother, Cathy Chase, revealed her stunned reaction to her daughter’s death in an emotional new interview.

“I was devastated. It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, It felt like I was exploding outwardly,” she told the Daily Mail in comments published on Friday.

She told the outlet that after hearing about her daughter’s death on Tuesday at age 35, she was in disbelief.

“I let out this guttural scream and I just was running,” she recalled. “And these weird sounds were coming out of me, these kind of, like, primeval sounds.”

“And I went out into the backyard, and I was screaming, “No, no, no, no!” I am in so much pain but I hope her soul heard me,” she said.

Cathy told the outlet that on Tuesday evening — the day before news of the “Lilo & Stitch” star’s death emerged — she’d been searching online forums for clues of where her “sunshine” daughter might be, something she’s done on a nightly basis.

“The Ring” actress and her mother had not seen each other since 2019. Cathy, who lives in Los Angeles, told the outlet that she’d frequently check the LA County Medical Examiner’s system for her daughter’s name, as well.

“I would look at their list of unidentified bodies,” Cathy divulged. “It was very difficult, but you do everything you can as a mother.”

When TMZ broke the news that the “Spirited Away” voice actress — who had reportedly been living near Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row — had died after battling meningitis and a blood infection leading to sepsis, Cathy confessed she thought it was “fake news.”

“But then all of a sudden, it’s all of these different legitimate sites had her name and I realized that it wasn’t fake,” she shared.

The grieving mother identified her daughter’s body on Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital, and prayed with a chaplain while “touching the glass” because it was “as close as we could get.”

“It was a beautiful experience, and, and I feel very blessed, too, have been able to share that with my daughter.”

Cathy told the outlet that her daughter’s problems began in 2016, when she was injured in a motorcycle accident and began taking painkillers.

After that, Cathy said the “Big Love” actress was “seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people,” and said despite rumors, she “never kicked [her] daughter out.”

“She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs,” Cathy claimed. “That was the beginning.”

Cathy said she’d last seen her daughter during a jail visit after she faced two counts of alleged burglary in 2019, describing Daveigh as “completely gone, like out of her mind.”

“I honestly thought there was something wrong with her,” she recalled. “My daughter was never diagnosed with mental health other than PTSD. But the drugs took hold of her.”

Cathy claimed she had an agreement to pick up Daveigh when she was released from jail, but her daughter “never waited. She went back to the streets and I couldn’t find her,” she said.

The bereaved mom said it “upsets”. her that “people are saying I must’ve been a bad mother,” but insisted she “never gave up” on the “Donnie Darko” actress.

“As a mother, you don’t give up on your child. I was hoping she would still come home,” she said.

Just prior to her death — which was first reported by TMZ — Roy Hernandez, a man claiming to be Daveigh’s boyfriend, set up a fundraiser for the actress.

But the actress’s former manager, John Ryan, cast doubt on the fundraiser’s legitimacy, telling The Post on Wednesday that “apparently, a man claiming to be her ‘boyfriend’ that none of us friends or her family has heard of has set up a GoFundMe on ‘her and her families behalf’ that he set her up as the organizer.”

He added, “I can confirm Daveigh has a trust account set up at SAG to cover all costs.” Hernandez, meanwhile, insisted to TMZ that anything gained from his fundraiser would go toward a “proper memorial” for Daveigh.

Ryan — who also said he’d attempted to locate the troubled actress prior to her hospitalization for malnutrition and subsequent death — also claimed the actress left behind millions in residuals.

Ryan told the outlet that Daveigh was “too far gone” on illicit drugs to claim the funds, despite his attempts to get in touch.

Almost ten years prior to her death, Daveigh shared her final Instagram post — a grainy photo of her standing next to a unicorn balloon in Los Angeles in 2017.

In 2009, she shared with Interview magazine that she hoped to “do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”

Entertainment

Hit 90s movie franchise returns after 24 years, star confirms

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A hit film from the 90s and noughties is about to get revived after 24 years.

Austin Powers, the comedy spy franchise that has given us three flicks, plenty of big belly laughs, and memorable characters, is finally getting a fourth installment.

The news was confirmed by star and creator Mike Myers (who plays the lead Austin Powers), who offered up the confirmation of another sequel, but with no further details.

While attending Trevor Noah’s World Cup Watch Party this week, the actor was asked the big question by a bold fan.

“Are we ever going to see an Austin Powers 4?” they quizzed.

Myers didn’t need any time at all to respond, swiftly replying: “yes” to the fan.

But that’s all the details fans are getting for now, with the actor avoiding elaborating any more – including what the new flick will be about and which A-listers might be signing up as a cameo.

“Austin Powers” is a much-loved spoof of classic spy movies centring on a highly-sexed, cryogenically frozen 1960s secret agent who wakes up in modern times.

We were first introduced to the franchise in 1997 with the release of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” Two years later, in 1999, Myers returned with “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” and in 2002, we were given “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

In the trilogy, comedy mastermind Myers famously plays multiple roles, including the velvet-suited hero and his bald, pinky-biting nemesis, Dr. Evil. He also transforms into characters Goldmember and Fat Bastard.

The hilarious franchise boasts wild A-list cameos, including appearances by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé.

Over at the box office, the three films have raked in an impressive $US 676 million combined and have snagged over 20 awards, including an Oscar nomination for best make-up as well as a Grammy win for Madonna’s title track for Beautiful Stranger – a song penned for the second film in the franchise.

The news of a fourth film comes 24 years after the third flick hit cinemas.

Since its release, Myers has been hinting that the secret agent may return.

Most recently, speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the 2024 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala, Myers dropped his biggest hint.

“I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project… It’s likely to be from Dr. Evil’s point of view,” he teased.