Actor Robert Blake, whose decades-long film and television career was tarnished by an infamous murder trial, has died aged 89.
Blake died in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. He said he died after a battle with heart disease, adding that he “passed away peacefully with family and friends by his side.”
Before being tried and acquitted in the shooting death of his wife, Blake was best known for the 1970s television series “Baretta” and his last screen role, the 1997 film “Lost Highway.”
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However, on May 4, 2001, Blake’s wife, Bonnie Lee Buckley, was shot and killed in Blake’s car near a restaurant in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Blake was arrested In April 2002 on a murder charge.
Finally the case Went to trial In late 2004, and early 2005, Blake was acquitted by an LA jury.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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