This was not the news I wanted to wake up to this morning: Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, investigators said. Hackman, 95, was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom, and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa. Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds. […] “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement Thursday. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.” Having grown up watching his movies (he appeared in over 70 feature films between 1961 and his 2004 retirement from acting), I will miss him sorely as well. As will many others: Gene Hackman has died. I met him on my first picture, “Hawaii” and worked with him again on “Get Shorty”. Both times were unforgettable for me, because he was the real thing; you never caught him acting. He left us a staggering body of work. Thank you, Mr. Hackman, and rest in peace. [image or embed] — Bette…