Movie fans were shocked to learn that veteran actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa had been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

While many questions about the bombshell development remain unanswered, a friend of Hackman says he was becoming "more reclusive." 

Hackman stayed in following COVID-19 pandemic

That's according to Stuart Ashman, who recently spoke to Fox News about his relationship with the deceased Hollywood legend.

"Obviously, he was 95, so he was slowing down," said Ashman, who like Hackman, previously served in the United States military.

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Ashman further explained that health concerns led the aging actor to limit his public exposure following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I really am puzzled by the whole thing. You know, there's a lot of different reports coming out. It's kind of a tragic mystery in a way. And I can't really speculate on what it could have been. Certainly nothing dark there," he stressed.

Neighbor says Hackman had recently become "kind of home-bound"

A similar perspective was offered by neighbor Aaron Lenihan, who told People magazine that "quit riding his bike through the neighborhood" and in "recent times" had become "essentially kind of home-bound."

However, Lenihan stressed that Hackman's wife "was still trying to keep him as active and engaged and healthy as possible" via puzzles and doing yoga over Zoom.

"They seemed like real life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real [and] a lot of fun," he added.

Nevertheless, Lenihan's parents observed that Hackman appeared to be "really slipping there" over the past couple of months.

Hackman was long known for being active

For his part, Ashman pointed out that Hackman took his health seriously and was known for being physically active in his old age.

"He was very fit, you know, and he was 6 foot 2 plus an ex-Marine. He did Pilates like three times a week," Hackman's longtime friend recalled.

"And then on the days that he didn't do Pilates, he would load his bicycle up to his SUV and drive to Albuquerque, which is 70 miles, and ride this trail down there, which is along the river and it's paved and level. So he didn't want to do mountain biking, but he did that. So he was in great shape," Ashman pointed out.