Blake Lively's Father, Actor Ernie Lively, Dead At 74


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Blake Lively’s father, actor Ernie Lively, has died. He was 74.

Ernie, whose acting career spanned five decades, passed away of cardiac complications in Los Angeles last Thursday, his rep confirmed to PEOPLE. Per the report, Ernie was known as an “everyman actor,” having starred in multiple TV shows and films dating back to the inception of his career in the 1970s.

Most familiarly, Ernie portrayed the father of his real-life daughter Blake’s character in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Additionally, Ernie’s past acting credits include small-screen roles in The Dukes of HazzardFalcon CrestThe X-FilesThat '70s Show, and Murder, She Wrote, and in movies like Mulholland Falls, Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Man in the Moon.

Prior to becoming an actor, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, Ernie was an English professor and a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served in the Vietnam War.

At the time of this writing, Blake has not publicly commented on her father’s passing.

In 2013, PEOPLE reported that Ernie had undergone retrograde gene therapy for the heart in Utah after realizing his heart was only partially functioning. This made Ernie the first known patient to undergo such a procedure.

"I woke up the other morning and told my wife, 'I haven't felt this good in years,'" said Ernie following the operation. "I moved to Utah because of the snow, but I haven't been able to ski. I literally didn't have the heart to do it. Now, I'm excited about living the rest of my life instead of sitting around. Dr. Patel saved my life."

Ernie is survived by his wife of 42 years, Elaine Lively, and their five children: Blake Lively, Eric Lively, Robyn Lively, Lori Lively, and Jason Lively.