Actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89, according to Deadline. Noreen Austin, Blake’s niece, announced the information.

Due to ongoing cardiac problems, he passed away quietly at home with family by his side, according to Austin (via Fox News). He has spent the last few years viewing old films, playing his guitar, and listening to jazz music.

Blake had a successful and lengthy career in Hollywood beginning in the late 1930s.

Blake made his acting debut as a young child in the uncredited role of “Bridal Suite” in 1939. His best-known appearances in “In Cold Blood” and “Baretta,” which carried his career through the ’60s and ’70s, were among the nearly 150 acting credits he would eventually accrue.

Black received four Emmy nominations throughout his career and took home one for his performance on “Baretta.” In the murder mystery “Lost Highway,” released in 1997, Blake played his final dramatic role.

By dying, Blake joins the list of famous people who have already passed away. Many people are remembering the gruesome facts that characterized the final quarter of his life, particularly the terrible crime the former child actor was accused of, while others are lamenting the loss of his lengthy, distinguished career.

When Robert Blake’s second wife Bonnie Lee Bakley was killed in May 2001, his life took a sad turn. Bakley was discovered dead in Blake’s automobile, “slumped in the front seat,” according to LAPD Online. Bakley had been married to Blake for one year and was 44 years old (23 years younger than Blake), but she had been married 10 times overall. According to ABC News, Blake was charged with Bakley’s murder and taken into custody 11 months later, which astonished the entire world. Officer Don Cox, a police spokesman, said at the time, “We are confirming that we have detained Robert Blake in connection with the death of his wife.

Blake has consistently denied killing Bakley. His official account states that after dinner, he left her in the car and came back to discover her dead. According to CNN, Blake continued to give his version of events throughout the court case, including the year he spent in jail prior to obtaining a $1.5 million bond.

 

In an interview with Barbara Walters in 2003, Blake attributed Bakley’s passing to her background. “In my heart, I feel that some man, 10, 15, maybe 20 years ago, because she used to get married to them,” stated Blake (via ABC News). “She, in my opinion, ruined a lot of lives. I believe that one person whose life she devastated watched her on television.” OnMarch 29, 2005, Blake was found not guilty of the murder accusation; nonetheless, his reputation was never restored.