The Academy will honor Robert Blake with a special 'In Memoriam' tribute at the Oscars.
As per Delinah Blake Hurwitz, Robert Blake, just 89, a well-known actor and Emmy winner who played in the crime drama "Baretta," has passed away.
In an email to CNN, Delinah Blake Hurwitz said that her dad passed away on Thursday "peacefully" and "surrounded by family." Shockingly, Oscar did not pay any respect throughout the event, instead made a joke.
As per his niece Noreen Austin, who issued an obituary statement via a publicist, Robert Blake passed away in Los Angeles from heart illness.
The 95th Academy Awards' In Memoriam portion did not feature actor Robert Blake, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 89 after a life full of cinematic honors and scandal.
Blake, who was acquitted in the 2001 murder of his spouse, was left out of the piece on Sunday, which was introduced by presenter Jimmy Kimmel making a joke about the subject.
The joke told out loud was, “Everybody please get out your phones, even at home, it's time to vote: If you think Robert Blake should be part of the In Memoriam montage, text GIMME-A-Blake to the number on your screen, or to any number.”
If you think that was the end of the controversial joke, let us prove you wrong. He continued by saying, “Text that to your mother if you like - message and data rates may apply.”
Every word said out loud is taken differently by every person who hears it. Some people found Kimmel's quip on the contentious show industry figure hilarious, while others thought it was inappropriate.
One commented, “A solid 8/10 performance by Kimmel ... big ups for the Robert Blake joke ahead of the in Memoriam,” on the other hand, one said, “joke is still making me cackle.”
Several people did not find the joke amusing, as seen by one who remarked, “comment ... was incredibly inappropriate, revolting and shameful. Mocking a man’s death is neither funny nor clever.”Another comment was reported, “Is it me, or was Jimmy Kimmel's comment tonight about Robert Blake in poor taste?”
Blake had a long and successful career in show biz, but his legal troubles in latter years eclipsed it. He produced movies like In Cold Blood in 1967, Treasure of the Sierra Madre in 1948, and Lost Highway in 1997.
Fans also pointed out that Paul Sorvino, Charlbi Dean, Sacheen Littlefeather, Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore, and Leslie Jordan were not included in the television portion.
Bonny Lee Bakley, the wife of Robert Blake, was found shot to death in his vehicle on May 4, 2001, following a meal at Studio City's Vitello's. Robert Blake stated at the moment that he had only momentarily arrived at the restaurant when the murder took place.
After attempting to hire assassins to murder his wife of less than a year, Bonnie Lee Bakley, Blake was accused of killing her in order to win guardianship of their little daughter in 2002.
After a stunning three-month trial, in which Bakley was painted as a star-struck professional con artist who operated a mail-order missed connections business and seduced the actor into getting married by becoming pregnant, he was found not guilty.
In an online session on Thursday, a counsel for Baldwin, who last month pleaded not guilty in the prosecution, claimed that the government had "destroyed" the pistol used in the horrific incident.
In a response to CNN, Robert Blake's attorney, Gerald Schwartzbach, said that the actor "was a complicated man".
His career took a bow during his crucial times. Robert Blake's attorneys contested the civil case; the sum of damages granted to Bakley's children was eventually lowered to $15 million.
Alec Baldwin paid homage to actor Robert Blake on Instagram upon learning of his passing on Thursday, making references to both Blake's success in show biz and the terrible twist his career had undergone after being charged with murdering his spouse in 2001.
Alec was one of the few people to pay his respects to the actor publicly. He wrote, “Robert Blake has died. I realize that many people have had harsh feelings toward him. His life seemed to involve many dramatic legal entanglements. Today, I want to remember him as the incredibly gifted actor he was.”
Thus according to his children's declaration, Robert Blake discreetly resided in the Los Angeles area over the past few years. His family prefers donations to the City of Hope instead of flowers.
