Robert Blake dead at 89 due to heart diseases

The TV and movie actor Robert Blake, who was cleared of killing his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, has passed away. He was 89.

Blake died of heart illness, according to Blake's niece Noreen Austin, who confirmed the news of his passing on Thursday. He was surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles, she stated in a statement given to People magazine.

At the age of 5, the New Jersey native started his career as a child actor in the Our Gang comedy short film series. He first appeared on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok in a string of television roles before starring in the 1967 Oscar-nominated film In Cold Blood.

His breakout television role as New York City detective Tony Baretta in the 1970s TV series Baretta was made possible by the film. He received his first Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1975 thanks to the series, which ran for four seasons from 1975 to 1978.

He was nominated for the same part again in 1977 after winning the Emmy that year, and he received two additional nods in 1983 and 1993 for the same character.

For his work in the television crime drama Blood Feud and the miniseries Judgment Day: The John List Story, he received nominations for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or special and outstanding lead actor in a miniseries, respectively.

His final performance on a television show was in the one-season 1985 drama Hell Town.

Later, he would be detained and subsequently found not guilty of shooting his wife Bakley to death in 2001.

Read More: Watch: Trailer Of Netflix's Forthcoming Polish Series, Dead End