Robert Blake, the actor who garnered as much attention for his personal life as his on-screen work, passed away on Thursday.
In a statement released on behalf of Blake’s niece, Noreen Austin, it was announced that he had passed away at home from heart disease, with loved ones by his side. The Associated Press reported the news.
Blake gained notoriety after he was accused of murdering his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, who was found dead outside a restaurant in Los Angeles in 2001.
Bakley was shot in the head while sitting in Blake’s car, and Blake claimed he had gone back inside the restaurant to get his gun when the incident occurred. However, it was later revealed that his pistol was not the murder weapon.
Robert Blake, who had a career in Hollywood spanning over 50 years, was acquitted of the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after a three-month-long trial.
He was also found not guilty of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder. The second solicitation of murder charge was later dropped.
Blake starred in numerous movies, including “In Cold Blood,” “Lost Highway,” and “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and won an Emmy in 1975 for his role as Tony Baretta in “Baretta.”
Blake was 89.