Actor Robert Blake, whose decades-long film and television career was tarnished by a notorious murder trial, has died at the age of 89.
Blake died in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen confirmed to CBS News Thursday. She said he died after a battle with heart disease, adding that he “passed away peacefully with family and friends.”
Prior to being tried and acquitted in his wife’s shooting death, Blake was best known for the 1970s television series “Baretta,” and his last screen role, the 1997 film “Lost Highway.”
/ Getty Images
However, on May 4, 2001, Blake’s wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, was shot and killed in Blake’s car near a restaurant in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Blake was arrested on a murder charge in April 2002.
The case finally went to trial in late 2004, and Blake was acquitted by an L.A. jury in early 2005.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
