Robert Blake dies at 89
Actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89.
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.
The former child actor was renowned for two reasons.
His Emmy-winning role in the 1970s television series Baretta made him a household name among actors of his generation.
More notably, he became known as the defendant in a murder trial of his wife.
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.
When Blake was 2, he was performing with a brother and a sister in a family vaudeville act called The Three Little Hillbillies.
In 1961, he and actress Sondra Kerr married and had two children, Noah and Delinah. They divorced in 1983.
He met his second wife, Bonny Lee Bailey, in 1999, at a jazz club where, ironically, he went to escape loneliness.
"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 Associated Press.
Blake told the outlet he had no reason to dislike Bakley.
"She took me out of the stands and put me back in the arena. I had something to live for.”
When Bakley gave birth to a baby girl, she named Christian Brando, son of Marlon, as the father.
However, DNA tests pointed towards Blake.
Blake first saw the little girl, named Rosie, when she was two months old and immediately became the focus of his life.
He married Bakley because of Rosie.
"Rosie is my blood. Rosie is calling to me," he said.
On the day Balkey died, Blake was dining with her at a neighbourhood restaurant in Studio City, California, in 2001.
Bakley was fatally shot outside the restaurant.
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.
Police were initially baffled, and Blake was not arrested until a year after Bakley died.
The story of their strange marriage made waves soon after, from the child it produced and its violent end all played out in court.
While imprisoned and awaiting trial in 2002, Blake told the Associated Press in an interview that he lamented his change in status with fans nationwide.
"It hurt because America is the only family I had," he said.
The actor was adamant that he had not killed his wife.
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.
However, the evidence was not substantial, and a jury rejected that theory.
In March 2005, a jury ultimately acquitted him of the murder.
However, in November 2005, a civil jury found him liable for her wrongful death.
Blake was then ordered to pay Bakley’s family $30 million, a judgement which sent him bankrupt.
When he was young, Blake starred in the Our Gang comedies and acted in the classic film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
His career peaked in 1975-78 with the cop series, Baretta.
He starred as a detective who carried a pet cockatoo on his shoulder and was keen on disguises.
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.
He is, however, perhaps best known in Hollywood due to his major role in the film In Cold Blood.
Blake gained a reputation as one of Hollywood’s finest actors but also one of the most difficult to work with.
He later admitted to struggling with alcohol and drug addiction in his early life.
Once a wealthy man, Blake spent millions on his defence and ended up living on social security and a Screen Actor’s guild pension.
In a 2006 interview with the Associated Press, a year after being acquitted, he said he hoped to restart his career.
"I'd like to give my best performance," he said.
"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."
Image credit: Getty