Actor Robert Blake dies at age 89
The controversial performer, who was accused of murdering his wife in 2001, starred in the TV series 'Baretta.'
(Wikimedia Commons)
Actor Robert Blake passed away Thursday at the age of 89. The performer, who brought Detective Tony Baretta to life in the ABC television series Baretta, died of heart disease, according to a statement given to Deadline magazine by Blake's niece, Noreen Austin.
The actor, who won an Emmy Award for his part in the fictional police series on ABC, had been working in Hollywood for more than sixty years, appearing in various series and films such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948), where he shared the screen with Humphrey Bogart, and In Cold Blood (1967), with John Forsythe. His last film role was 26 years ago in Lost Highway (1997), directed by David Lynch.
Robert Blake, accused of murder in 2002
His personal life was never short of controversy. In 2002, Robert Blake, whose real name was Michael James Vicenzo Gubitosi, was charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. She was found shot dead outside Vitello's restaurant in the San Fernando Valley in 2001, shortly after sharing a dinner with the actor.
According to the actor's statement at the time, he had returned to the restaurant to retrieve a gun that had been left on the floor of the booth where they had been dining. That incident led to his indictment a year later for Bakley's murder, plus added charges of conspiracy and special circumstances of lying in wait. However, in 2005, a jury of seven men and five women found him not guilty of the crime and acquitted him. Bakley's children did win a wrongful death lawsuit against Blake a few months later which drove him into peronal bankruptcy, however, her murder remains officially unsolved.
This, along with many other stories, are all part of his memoirs published in 2011, Tales of a Rascal: what I did for Love which he wrote after he retired and lived quietly in the Los Angeles area during the last years of his life.
The family announced that a private memorial service will be held in the performer's honor. In lieu of flowers, attendees are asked to make donations to the City of Hope Association.
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