Los Angeles, 10 March 2023 (GNP): Robert Blake, an American actor who gained notoriety after being tried for the murder of his wife but found not guilty, passed away on Thursday at the age of 89. He was known for his roles in the 1967 film In Cold Blood and the 1970s U.S. television series ‘Baretta’.
Blake passed away from heart illness while surrounded by loved ones at home in Los Angeles, according to a statement issued on behalf of his niece Noreen Austin.
Robert Blake once hoped for a comeback, but he was never able to get over the protracted agony that started with the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in front of a Studio City restaurant on May 4, 2001. Their unusual union, the kid it gave birth to, and its horrific demise were all dramatized in court like something out of a Hollywood film.
He lamented the deterioration in his relationship with his supporters all over the world in a 2002 interview with The Associated Press while he was in jail awaiting trial: “That stung because America is the only family I had.”
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The actor insisted vehemently that he had not murdered his wife, and a jury finally found him not guilty. Nevertheless, a civil jury would hold him responsible for her passing and demand that he provide Bakley’s family $30 million; this verdict forced him into bankruptcy.
Rose Lenore, the daughter his and Bakley shared, was raised by other family members and didn’t speak to Blake for years until 2019. She would admit to calling dad “Robert” rather than “Dad”, according to sources.
Long before the trial, Blake’s professional progress had stagnated. He only had a handful of film appearances after the mid-1980s and his final endeavor was in David Lynch’s ‘Lost Highway’ which was released in 1997.
Blake had spent his latter years, according to his niece: “enjoying jazz music, playing his guitar, reading poetry, and seeing many Hollywood Classic films.”