The Original ‘Batman’ Adam West Dead At 88

The original actor who played “Batman” during the 1960s television series Adam West has died. He was 88 years old.

West died peacefully Friday night in Los Angeles after losing a brief battle with leukaemia, a family spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter.

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives,” a family member told Variety magazine. “He was and always will be our hero.”

His performance as “Batman” on the 1966 series was legendary. The show’s cheeky and campy style with its onscreen “Wham” and “Pow”exclamations became a cult classic and fit West perfectly. In fact, it fit him so well the actor struggled to find work again after being typecast by the show.

He was introduced to a whole new generation on the animated Fox series “Family Guy” starting in 2000 playing the corrupt Mayor Adam West of Quahog, Rhode Island. He also did a lot of voice work for other animated shows including Disney.

“Money,” West explained when asked in 2016 what the character has come to mean to him after five decades. “Some years ago I made an agreement with Batman. There was a time when Batman really kept me from getting some pretty good roles, and I was asked to do what I figured were important features. However, Batman was there, and very few people would take a chance on me walking on to the screen.”

“And they’d be taking people away from the story,” he added. “So I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too. Why not? So I began to reengage myself with Batman. And I saw the comedy. I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it.”

In 2012, West finally got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California.

West was born in Walla Walla, Washington in 1928 and started acting in the 1950s while living in Hawaii. He’s survived by his wife Marcelle, six kids, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.