Actor Robert Blake has passed away at the age of 89, as reported by Deadline. Noreen Austin, Blake’s niece, made the announcement.
According to Austin (via Fox News), due to continuous cardiac issues, he peacefully passed away at home with his family beside him. He spent the past few years watching old movies, strumming his guitar, and enjoying jazz music.
Blake had a long and prosperous career in Hollywood starting from the late 1930s.
He made his acting debut as a young child in an uncredited role in “Bridal Suite” in 1939. Among the nearly 150 acting credits he amassed over time, his most well-known appearances were in “In Cold Blood” and “Baretta”, which carried his career through the 1960s and 1970s.
Blake received four Emmy nominations throughout his career and won one for his performance in “Baretta”. In the 1997 murder mystery “Lost Highway”, he played his final dramatic role.
With his passing, Blake joins the ranks of the deceased celebrities. Many are recalling the grisly events that marked the last part of his life, especially the heinous crime the former child actor was accused of. Meanwhile, others are mourning the end of his long and remarkable career.
Robert Blake’s life took a tragic turn when his second wife Bonnie Lee Bakley was killed in May 2001. Bakley was found dead in Blake’s car, “slumped in the front seat”, as per LAPD Online. Bakley had been married to Blake for a year and was 44 years old (23 years younger than Blake), but she had been married a total of 10 times. ABC News reported that Blake was charged with Bakley’s murder and arrested 11 months later, which shocked the whole world. Police spokesman Officer Don Cox said at the time, “We are confirming that we have detained Robert Blake in connection with the death of his wife.”
Blake has always denied killing Bakley. His official statement is that after dinner, he left her in the car and returned to find her dead. According to CNN, Blake stuck to his version of events throughout the court case, including the year he spent in jail before getting a $1.5 million bond. In a 2003 interview with Barbara Walters, Blake attributed Bakley’s death to her past. “In my heart, I feel that some man, 10, 15, maybe 20 years ago, because she used to get married to them,” Blake said (via ABC News). “She, in my opinion, ruined a lot of lives. I believe that one person whose life she destroyed watched her on television.”
On March 29, 2005, Blake was found not guilty of the murder charge; however, his reputation was never fully redeemed.