Friends say Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa was a picture of health in the days before her mysterious death, Breaking Celebrity News can exclusively reveal.

Arakawa's unexpected end likely went unnoticed by dementia-stricken Hackman – possibly leading to his own demise.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead at their home on February 26.

While the Get Shorty star suffered from heart disease and was in the later stages of Alzheimer's, friends close to the couple said Arakawa took strides to take good care of her body.

In exclusive police body cam footage obtained by Breaking Celebrity News, their friend Joey Padilla, who also looked after their three dogs when they were away, revealed how shocked he was that she passed first.

Talking to investigators, he said: "It’s crazy because Betsy is a lot younger than Gene. And, like, she was super healthy. She was like a health freak."

Padilla added the classical pianist took great strides to care for her health: "She got acupuncture. She (ate) healthy foods, everything."

According to Padilla, Arakawa never had any medical issues of her own and spent the past several years acting as Hackman's personal caretaker.

He added: "She always dealt with Gene. I mean, she always was like, anything he needed, you know, to take care of them. But she was healthy."

Doctors seemed to agree with Padilla's assessment and discovered Arakawa's death was most likely not natural. Autopsy results conducted after Arakawa was discovered in her bathroom revealed symptoms including fever and muscle aches.

Experts soon determined she likely died on February 11 from a disease called hantavirus, spread by infected rodent droppings. The disease is extremely rare, with only 864 cases