Gene Hackman's longtime friends say he, his wife were increasingly 'insular' in their final years

The death of Gene Hackman and his wife rocked Hollywood and fans across the world, especially given the mysterious circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

According to the New York Post, friends and neighbors of the Hackmans revealed that the couple became increasingly "insular" during their final days as investigators now attempt to piece together the events leading up to their shocking and unexpected deaths. 

One of the pair's dogs was also found deceased when authorities found their bodies.

They were all found deceased in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, and it's still unclear as to what, exactly, caused their deaths.

Cops now believe the famous couple were deceased for some time leading up to the discovery of their bodies. Maintenance workers found them and immediately called authorities.

The person who called 911 to report the horrific discovery said that they rarely saw the couple in their final months alive.

It was noted that it wasn't uncommon for the two to "fly off the radar" for months at a time, according to close friends.

The Post noted:

No red flags had been raised by family or friends in the time between the pair dying and their bodies being found, but it was common for the couple to fly under the radar for long periods, according to longtime close friends Barbara Lenihan, 75, of Santa Fe and her husband, author Daniel Lenihan, 79.

But the two became much more isolated in past years, as Daniel Lenihan reported that he hadn't seen his friend of three decades in "years."

"People loved to be around them," Barbara said. "We used to spend a lot of time at their house but it’d been a while since they were comfortable having others over."

"They were a little insular and that was fine, it just got tougher for them to have people over," adding, "We’re all deeply saddened. We’re all just in shock and can’t believe [that they are dead]."

In a press conference last week, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that they're having challenges piecing together their final moments, admitting that investigators are having to work "backwards" in the hopes of solving the case.

"One of the things is in an investigation, we try to piece a timeline together," the sheriff said.

Hopefully, authorities can solve this one so that family and friends of the Hackmans can have some much-needed closure.