Posted on 03/09/2023 4:49:14 PM PST by DFG
Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife, died Thursday at age 89.
A statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.
Blake, star of the 1970s TV show, "Baretta," had once hoped for a comeback, but he never recovered from the long ordeal which began with the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, outside a Studio City restaurant on May 4, 2001. The story of their strange marriage, the child it produced and its violent end was a Hollywood tragedy played out in court.
Once hailed as among the finest actors of his generation, Blake became better known as the defendant in a real-life murder trial, a story more bizarre than any in which he acted.
In a 2002 interview with The Associated Press while he was jailed awaiting trial, he bemoaned the change in his status with his fans nationwide: "It hurt because America is the only family I had."
He was adamant that he had not killed his wife and a jury ultimately acquitted him. But a civil jury would find him liable for her death and order him to pay Bakley's family $30 million, a judgment which sent him into bankruptcy.
It was an ignominious finale for a life lived in the spotlight from childhood. As a youngster, he starred in the "Our Gang" comedies and acted in a movie classic, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." As an adult, he was praised for his portrayal of real-life murderer Perry Smith in the movie of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
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He was Mickey.
And that’s the name of that tune!
He was good in “Money Train” too. Just one of those underrated actors who never was able to reach that superstardom level.
Quite a life. Not much happiness. RIP.
Burn in hell.
Not you, him. I will never forget that smirk on his face.
Prayers for his troubled soul.
He was tried in a courthouse near my home - I happened to be driving by one day - and saw him on the steps - with that same smirk on his face. He knew he was going to be acquitted.
I too hope he is burning in hell...
amen
Hello Darling! Let me introduce you to SATAN!
Electra-Glide in Blue
He was the kid who sold Humphrey Bogart the lottery ticket that paid for his trip to Sierra Madre.
Busting is another.
I was never a big fan but he was a funny talk show guest which he did often back in the day. I didn’t really follow his later notoriety which sounds like the OJ case a bit.
He did the crime and the time. I thought he was a good actor and sinvpce most actors are scumbags, why hate on him? RIP.
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