'Baretta' Actor Robert Blake Dead At 89, Decades After Being Acquitted Of Wife's Murder
Robert Blake died from heart disease at 89, RadarOnline.com has learned, after his long-spanning acting career and infamously being acquitted of his wife's murder.
Blake, whose real name was Michael James Gubitosi, passed away on March 9 in Los Angeles, according to his niece, Noreen Austin.
The child actor, who was in Our Gang short film series, went on to have his own claim to fame is widely known for being the star of the 1970s television detective show Baretta. The crime drama spanned four seasons and earned him an Emmy Award For Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1977.
His credits include roles in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, In Cold Blood, and of Mice & Men. His final acting gig was in the mystery/thriller Lost Highway.
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Blake's illustrious career was undoubtedly stained after he was accused of murdering his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
Suspicions arose after Bakley was tragically found dead outside of Vitello's restaurant in the Valley in 2001.
She was shot while sitting in a car after having dinner with Blake.
He claimed to have escorted her to their vehicle, but went back inside the restaurant to retrieve a gun he accidentally left behind only to discover her slumped over in the passenger seat with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The actor was acquitted in 2005 in a high-profile criminal trial after his legal team had been tasked with proving the actor who portrayed killers in film was not capable of pulling the trigger in real life. He was, however, later found liable by a civil jury.
Bakley's daughter previously spoke to RadarOnline.com exclusively about the case and said she had no doubt in her mind the actor was responsible for her mother's death despite him being found not guilty of the crime decades ago.
"I'm terrified of Robert Blake — because I KNOW he was responsible for killing my mother!" Holly Gawron said, claiming she was fearful of visiting Bakley's final resting place as it could have resulted in a run-in with Blake. "I don't want to provoke him in any way."
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