Robert Blake Cause of Death: Actor Who Was Tried for Wife's Killing dies at 89

His family confirmed that Robert Blake passed away at the age of 89 following a battle with heart disease.

Robert Blake worked in Hollywood for almost six decades, appearing alongside Humphrey Bogart and John Forsythe in such classics as 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre' and 'In Cold Blood,' respectively. Using the stage name Bobby Blake, he also starred in a number of studio westerns.

Who is Robert Blake?

In the mid-1970s, he portrayed undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta in the ABC series Baretta, which ran for four seasons. In the early 2000s, he was charged with the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley, solicitation of murder, conspiracy, and special circumstances of lying in wait, which wrecked his career.

Nonetheless, a jury acquitted him of asking a former stuntman he worked with on Baretta to murder Bakley, and her death remains unsolved. Robert Blake was born Michael James Gubitosi in Nutley, New Jersey on September 18, 1933.

Blake would eventually find that his real father was actually James Gubitosi's brother, Tony, who had an affair with his mother, despite his birth certificate listing James as his father. He has stated that he experienced little parental attention as a youngster and was occasionally beaten and kept in a cupboard.

Blake, together with his half-brother and half-sister, performed in parks and on sidewalks as part of a family act called The Three Hillbillies, which was founded by James. At the age of two, he was performing his own drunken song, 'Show Me the Way to Go Home.'

When he was four years old, his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he began working as an extra for MGM Studios' Our Gang movie. One day, a little actor was tasked with delivering the line "Confidentially, it smells," but he was unable to articulate the phrase "confidentially."

Per Daily Mail, Blake thus tugged on the director's pant leg to gain his attention, performed the line, and became an actor. From then, he portrayed a variety of kid parts as Bobby Blake, including Rin Tin Tin alongside Robert Woods and a relentless lottery ticket seller in The Treasure of Sierra Madre alongside Humphrey Bogart.

Nonetheless, his family problems persisted, and he began to be tormented in high school; thus, he began drinking regularly and doing drugs.

Prior to his death, Robert Blake married three times and fathered three children. Over his lifetime, Robert Blake welcomed three biological children.

During his 20-year marriage to Sondra Blake Kerr, he received a son Noah and a daughter Denilah, who is now married to author Gregg Hurwitz. During his second marriage to Bonny Lee Bakley, he then received a daughter Rose.

While nothing is known about his daughters, his son's acting career is already well-known, as per The Sun. He has starred in several television series and films throughout the years, including Red Rooms, Harry and the Hendersons, The Wonder Years, and Married with Children.

Robert Blake Was Accused of Killing His Wife

Robert Blake's daughter stated that she did not care if the actor shot and murdered her mother Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001. Blake, who was once praised as one of the best performers of his time, is now better recognized as the defendant in a real-life murder case that is weirder than any role he ever played.

On May 4, 2001, he was tried and acquitted for the murder of his wife, Bakley, who was found dead outside a Studio City restaurant. Rose Lenore Blake talked to the media for the first time in 2019 about her upbringing and reconciling with her father following the heartbreaking loss of her mother.

At the time of the interview, Robert's 19-year-old daughter recalls being captured by the paparazzi while cheering at her high school. While she struggled with melancholy and anxiety, the incident "distanced" her from her classmates.

Rose continued to rely on her friends rather than her family despite receiving counseling. In a 2019 interview with 'Good Morning America,' she stated she felt like she had two distinct personalities.

According to Fox News, Blake was sure that he had not murdered his wife, and in March 2005, a jury ruled him not guilty of murder. A civil jury found him accountable for her death months after he was convicted and sentenced him to compensate Bakley's family $30 million for her wrongful death, a decision that drove him bankrupt.