Robert Blake dies at 89
<p>Actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89.</p>
<p>In a statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said that Blake had died from heart disease, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The former child actor was renowned for two reasons.</p>
<p>His Emmy-winning role in the 1970s television series <em>Baretta</em> made him a household name among actors of his generation.</p>
<p>More notably, he became known as the defendant in a murder trial of his wife.</p>
<p>Born Michael James Gubitosi in 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, his father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother was an Italian-American who wanted their three children to get into show business.</p>
<p>When Blake was 2, he was performing with a brother and a sister in a family vaudeville act called The Three Little Hillbillies.</p>
<p>In 1961, he and actress Sondra Kerr married and had two children, Noah and Delinah. They divorced in 1983.</p>
<p>He met his second wife, Bonny Lee Bailey, in 1999, at a jazz club where, ironically, he went to escape loneliness.</p>
<p>"Here I was, 67 or 68 years old. My life was on hold. My career was stalled out," he said in an interview with the <em>Associated Press</em>.</p>
<p>Blake told the outlet he had no reason to dislike Bakley.</p>
<p>"She took me out of the stands and put me back in the arena. I had something to live for.”</p>
<p>When Bakley gave birth to a baby girl, she named Christian Brando, son of Marlon, as the father.</p>
<p>However, DNA tests pointed towards Blake.</p>
<p>Blake first saw the little girl, named Rosie, when she was two months old and immediately became the focus of his life.</p>
<p>He married Bakley because of Rosie.</p>
<p>"Rosie is my blood. Rosie is calling to me," he said.</p>
<p>On the day Balkey died, Blake was dining with her at a neighbourhood restaurant in Studio City, California, in 2001.</p>
<p>Bakley was fatally shot outside the restaurant.</p>
<p>Blake claimed she was shot when he left her in the car and went back to the restaurant to retrieve the handgun he had mistakenly left behind.</p>
<p>Police were initially baffled, and Blake was not arrested until a year after Bakley died.</p>
<p>The story of their strange marriage made waves soon after, from the child it produced and its violent end all played out in court.</p>
<p>While imprisoned and awaiting trial in 2002, Blake told the <em>Associated Press</em> in an interview that he lamented his change in status with fans nationwide.</p>
<p>"It hurt because America is the only family I had," he said.</p>
<p>The actor was adamant that he had not killed his wife.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claimed that he planned to kill his wife to get sole custody of their daughter Rosie and that he had tried to hire hitmen for the job.</p>
<p>However, the evidence was not substantial, and a jury rejected that theory.</p>
<p>In March 2005, a jury ultimately acquitted him of the murder.</p>
<p>However, in November 2005, a civil jury found him liable for her wrongful death.</p>
<p>Blake was then ordered to pay Bakley’s family $30 million, a judgement which sent him bankrupt.</p>
<p>When he was young, Blake starred in the Our Gang comedies and acted in the classic film,<em> The Treasure of the Sierra Madre</em>.</p>
<p>His career peaked in 1975-78 with the cop series, <em>Baretta</em>.</p>
<p>He starred as a detective who carried a pet cockatoo on his shoulder and was keen on disguises.</p>
<p>He won an Emmy in 1975 for his portrayal of Tony Baretta, although behind the scenes, the show was riddled with disputes involving the temperamental star.</p>
<p>He is, however, perhaps best known in Hollywood due to his major role in the film <em>In Cold Blood</em>.</p>
<p>Blake gained a reputation as one of Hollywood’s finest actors but also one of the most difficult to work with.</p>
<p>He later admitted to struggling with alcohol and drug addiction in his early life.</p>
<p>Once a wealthy man, Blake spent millions on his defence and ended up living on social security and a Screen Actor’s guild pension.</p>
<p>In a 2006 interview with the <em>Associated Press</em>, a year after being acquitted, he said he hoped to restart his career.</p>
<p>"I'd like to give my best performance," he said.</p>
<p>"I'd like to leave a legacy for Rosie about who I am. I'm not ready for a dog and fishing pole yet. I'd like to go to bed each night, desperate to wake up each morning and create some magic."</p>
<p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>
