Gene Hackman‘s handyman and caretaker talked to cops after claiming he spied the late actor’s wife’s dead body inside their secluded New Mexico home … telling them to keep things on the down low.

New police body cam footage released Tuesday shows the interaction between cops and Gene’s handyman … and he tells them he went to check on the couple because he hadn’t heard from them in nearly 3 weeks.

The guy claims he was trying to get a wellness check and stumbled upon Betsy Arakawa‘s body. He says it’s Gene’s house and the couple valued privacy and to keep the incident on the hush.

Gene’s handyman was also concerned with the well-being of one of their dogs … who was ultimately found dead in a crate.

As we reported … other police body cam footage released Tuesday shows cops searching the home for Gene and Betsy.

The interior of the home was messy in some areas … and there was a rodent infestation on the property.

Betsy died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome … and Gene died a few days later from heart disease and advanced Alzheimer’s.

Wink Martindale is high rolling with God now … the iconic TV game show host died Tuesday following a cancer battle.

Wink’s publicists say the host of “High Rollers,” “Tic-Tac-Dough” and “Gambit” passed away in the SoCal desert city of Rancho Mirage, and was surrounded by family … including his wife Sandra Martindale.

He’d been battling lymphoma for about a year, and was doing well, according to his rep Brian Mayes … but about 2 weeks ago, Wink took a turn for the worst, and was in a hospital getting treatment when he died.

Wink, whose birth name was Winston Conrad, got his start down South as a radio DJ in the early ’50s in Memphis.

He was actually working at WHBQ when the station became the first to play Elvis Presley‘s debut hit, “That’s All Right” in 1954 — and he reportedly invited Elvis down to the station for his very first interview.

“Tic-Tac-Dough” was definitely his breakout show, though, which he hosted from 1978 to 1985. In addition to “High Rollers” … he also hosted “Headline Chasers,” “Trivial Pursuit,” “The Last Word” and “The Great Getaway Game.”

Wink got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006, and the city where he got his start, Memphis … gave him a similar honor on Beale Street.

He was also front and center when singer Crystal Gayle got her star, which was placed right next to his.

Wink is survived by 3 daughters, several grandchildren and Sandra, to whom he was married for 49 years.

He was 91.

LaVar Ball was keeping tabs on his son’s rapid rise in the rap game despite his recent serious health issues … ’cause the famous pops had a special FaceTime with Gelo from his hospital bed in between multiple surgeries that led to the Big Ballers’ foot being amputated.

TMZ Sports broke the story earlier this year — LaVar had his right foot amputated after complications from an infection … and in a video of his chat with his middle son, it’s clear his love and pride for his family helped him during the rough time.

The 57-year-old shared the video with us … which shows Gelo excitedly telling his dad about all the updates with his music career, including landing a set at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles.

“That’s what I’m talking about, son,” he said. “S*** is over and you still got hoop on the back end. Ain’t no n**** got no s*** like that, dog.”

“Get me a prosthetic leg up there and be bouncing on one leg.”

While it’s unclear exactly when the video was shot, you can hear the raspiness in LaVar’s voice. During an interview with SLAM Magazine, Ball said he went under the knife three different times to fix the potentially life-threatening problem — and got four separate blood transfusions.

“It made me think, ‘Man, just kill me and let me go about my business,'” he said. “It made me think that maybe it’s time for me to shut it down.”

Despite the health battle, it’s clear LaVar was able to put the stress and worry aside temporarily as he listened to Gelo talk about linking up with Lil Wayne, who eventually hopped on his “Tweaker” remix.

LaVar has not been seen out in public much since the procedure. His youngest son, LaMelo, shared a photo of the two when the Hornets were in town to take on the Lakers, saying, “It was only right” to check in on his pops.

The leader of the Ball fam is now hoping that what happened to him is a lesson for others … encouraging people to get routine appointments with their doctors.