Actor Robert Blake, famed for Baretta and In Cold Blood, has died at 89 from heart disease, his niece confirmed. Surrounded by family, he spent his final years quietly playing guitar, watching old films, and listening to jazz.
A child star turned Emmy-winning actor, Blake’s career spanned nearly seven decades. Yet his legacy was forever clouded after the 2001 murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. Though acquitted of the crime, the scandal followed him for the rest of his life.
Once one of Hollywood’s brightest talents, Robert Blake’s story remains a haunting mix of fame, fall, and final solitude.