robert blakeThe actor whose life was talked about on screen as much has died.
According to a statement released to The Associated Press on behalf of Blake’s niece, Noreen AustinBlake died of heart disease on Thursday at home surrounded by his loved ones.
Blake was accused of murdering his second wife, Bonnie Lee BuckleyAfter being found dead outside Vitello’s restaurant in Los Angeles in 2001. Beckley was shot in the head while sitting in Blake’s vehicle.
Blake told investigators that he had gone inside the restaurant to retrieve a pistol when Bakley was shot and killed. It was later determined that his pistol was not the murder weapon.
Blake’s trial lasted nearly three months, but he was ultimately found not guilty of murder and one of two counts of solicitation of murder … The second solicitation of murder charge was also eventually dropped.
Blake’s career in Hollywood spanned more than 50 years, starring in films such as “In Cold Blood,” “Lost Highway” and “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” He played Tony Beretta in “Baretta” … a role that won him an Emmy in 1975.
Blake was 89.