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Adam West, best known for his playful portrayal of the title character in the cult classic 1960’s TV show Batman, has sadly passed away.
A statement released by his family on Friday said the 88-year-old died after ‘a short but brave battle with leukaemia’.
‘He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather. There are no words to describe how much we’ll miss him.’
Running only from 1966 – 1968, Ward’s tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Batman and the superhero’s alter ego Bruce Wayne won a cult following amongst audiences.
The show gave rise to a movie version in 1966, in which West also starred, and fueled a franchise – paving the way for for other actors, such as Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck to play the iconic character.
‘I was almost to the finish line for a lot of big, leading-man type roles that I really wanted, but I’d always come in second or third,’ the actor told California’s Orange County Register newspaper in 1989 of his struggle to find work after the series ended.
‘Somebody in charge would always say, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing? You can’t put Batman in bed with Faye Dunaway.”‘
Despite struggling to find big acting roles after batman, Ward garnered a new generation of fans recently after joining the cats of Family Guy.
Voicing Quahog’s eccentric Mayor Adam West, the actor’s character was described by series creator Seth MacFarlane as an ‘alternate universe’, satirised version of the actor.
Seth wrote on Twitter that he had “‘lost a friend’ and described West as ‘irreplaceable’.
Other tributes to the actor poured in via social media following news of his death.
Actor Val Kilmer tweeted: ‘Ah dear Adam West. He was always so kind when we met. A real gent. Once when I was a kid we found ourselves in front the Batmobile. I got in.’
The US defence department tweeted a picture of West in his uniform with the message: ‘He was our hero long before the cape.’
Burt Ward, who acted alongside West as Batman’s sidekick Robin, said in a statement to Variety that he was ‘devastated’ by the loss.
‘I will forever miss him,’ Ward said. ‘There are several fine actors who have portrayed Batman in films.’
‘In my eyes, there was only one real Batman — that is and always will be Adam West.’
West is survived by his wife, Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
