Blake Lively's Father Ernie Lively Dead At 74; Prolific Actor Died Of Cardiac Complications

Ernie Lively, a prolific character actor and the father of Blake Lively, has died. He was 74 years old.

The actor, who played the father of Blake’s character in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," died on June 3 of cardiac complications in Los Angeles, his rep confirmed to multiple outlets, including People and The Hollywood Reporter.

His wife, Elaine Lively, and his five children were by his side at the time.

Ernie had a history of health issues, including a heart attack in 2003, Us Weekly reported. In 2013, the actor underwent stem-cell therapy treatment in an effort to repair his heart after an angiogram caused severed aorta and coronary artery issues.

Ernie was born in January 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland. He married talent manager Elaine Lively in 1979. He is a father to Eric, 39, and Blake, 33, and stepfather to Lori, 54, Jason, 53, Robyn, 49. All of them followed in his footsteps as an actor, USA Today reported.

Ernie began his five-decade career in Hollywood with guest roles on "The Waltons" and "Fantasy Island" and a recurring role on "The Dukes of Hazzard." He also appeared in "Turner & Hooch," "Falcon Crest," "Malibu Shores," "The X-Files," "The West Wing," "That '70s Show," "Seinfeld," "Passenger 57" and "Murder, She Wrote," among many others.

Ernie also portrayed the father of Blake's character Bridget Vreeland in the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." They both reprised their roles for the movie's 2008 sequel. The father and daughter also appeared together in the 2006 slasher film "Simon Says."

Before becoming an actor, Ernie had worked as an English professor and served as a lieutenant in Vietnam. He also became an acting coach for fellow performers.

After being part of Hollywood for almost 50 years, Ernie retired to Utah. In 2013, he said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that he chose the place "because of the outdoor life," but he didn't get to enjoy it due to a heart attack that limited his activities. It came to a point when he couldn't walk 45 steps at home without taking a rest.

"I live here because of the outdoor life, and I couldn't enjoy it," the then-66-year-old said in a statement provided by the University of Utah. "I didn't have enough energy to do much of anything."

At the time, Ernie became the first person to be treated with an experimental retrograde gene therapy for the heart at the university. According to scientists, the treatment was promising to patients with hearts that were already weakened by a coronary disease like Ernie, but there are patients who can't be helped by stem-cell therapy and whose only option is a partial artificial heart or heart transplant.

"I woke up this morning and told my wife, 'I haven't felt this good in years,'" Ernie said after the therapy.

In addition to his wife Elaine and their children, Ernie is survived by nine grandchildren, his sister Judith and three of his children's spouses.