Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, repeatedly called a medical centre the day after she had previously been thought to have died, according to phone records.

The mobile phone records, revealed by Sante Fe authorities on Monday (US time), confirmed 65-year-old Arakawa had used her phone several times on February 12.

“We can now confirm that Mrs Hackman’s phone was utilised on the morning of February 12 to call a medical centre in Santa Fe, Cloudberry Health,” the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office said.

“A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical centre. One incoming call was made to Mrs Hackman from the same medical centre that afternoon. That appeared as a missed call on Mrs Hackman’s cell phone.”

Dr Josiah Child, who leads Cloudberry Health, told the BBC that while the clinic had never treated Hackman or Arakawa, she had sought for medical advice.

“She called and described some congestion but didn’t mention any respiratory distress, shortness of breath, or chest pain,” he said.

Arakawa initially scheduled an appointment for February 12 but cancelled on February 10, explaining that she needed to care for her husband, Child said.

On the morning of February 12, she called again seeking treatment but the clinic told her she needed to be seen in person.

“There were a couple calls back and forth to just schedule that appointment for the afternoon, but she never showed up,” Child said.

“Our office called back several times and never got an answer.”

The revelation overturns previous findings that Arakawa likely died on February 11 of hantavirus, a rare infectious disease.

Her body was found along with that of her Oscar-winning husband in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26.

Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator for the state’s Office of the Medical Investigator, said those who contracted hantavirus often felt ill for three-six days.

“Then they can transition to that pulmonary phase, where they have fluid in their lungs and around their lungs,” she said.

“A that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, roughly speaking, without medical treatment.”

A pathologist has said 95-year-old Hackman died of heart disease about February 18 – when his pacemaker last recorded his heartbeat. His advanced Alzheimer’s disease was also ruled as a significant contributing factor.

Santa Fe authorities had previously said Arakawa likely died on February 11, with her last known communication a day earlier.

Also on February 11, surveillance video captured her going into shops before returning about 5.15pm to the gated community where she and Hackman lived.

On February 26, her body was found on the floor of a bathroom in the couple’s home. Hackman’s body was found in another room.

The couple are believed to have been dead for days before maintenance men made the grim discovery. The body of one of their three dogs was found near Arakawa – it is believed to have died of starvation and dehydration.

Elsewhere, a US court has approved a temporary hold on releasing documents related to the twin deaths containing sensitive footage and images.

The temporary restraining order, granted on Monday (US time), was submitted by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate, to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th amendment of the US constitution.

Under the order, documents containing images or videos of the body of Hackman or Arakawa, the interior of their home, or their deceased animals, cannot be released.

The local Office of the Medical Investigator is also prevented from releasing autopsy examination and death investigation reports.

New Mexico’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including of people who are deceased.

But the bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are still typically considered public, to ensure government transparency and accountability.

A hearing to argue the merits of the order in the Hackman case has been scheduled for later in March.

Hackman won two Oscars during a storied career in films including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

-with AAP