Washington, March 1 -- Legendary actor Gene Hackman, who was found dead at his New Mexico home earlier this week, had been "slipping" over the last couple of months, revealed his close friends.

In a recent interview with People, family friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan, along with their son Aaron, spoke about Hackman's health and their close bond with the actor.

Daniel, while speaking to People, shared that his friend Hackman, "in recent times," was "essentially kind of home-bound," while Barbara added that the actor had "quit riding his bike through the neighborhood" about a year ago.

Aaron shared that Betsy Arakawa, Hackman's wife, did her best to keep Hackman active. "Betsy tried to keep him kind of active and engaged. She was stil...