I just met Blake last February at an environmental section meeting in Tulsa. He was a decent guy, and a good lawyer. I would bet he did more defense of companies who were being sued over an enviro issue than prosecution of a plaintiff's claim, especially in light of the firm he came from.
There really is not any irony. He probably made the bulk of his living defending companies. It is a tragedy that a guy only 45 is taken in the prime of his life.