We are saddened to report that actor Adam West has died. Following a brief battle with leukaemia, West passed away Friday night in the US at the age of 88. His family released a brief statement.
“It’s with great sadness that we are sharing this news,” read the message. “Adam West passed away peacefully last night after a short but brave battle with leukemia. He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather. There are no words to describe how much we’ll miss him. We know you’ll miss him too and we want you to know how much your love and support meant to him throughout the years. Hug your loved ones today.”
Best was of course best known for portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1960s Batman TV series from 1966 to 1968, a role that he reprised for the 1966 Batman film, The New Adventures of Batman, The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, and most recently in the animated Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders animated film last year. West said he played Batman “for laughs, but in order to do [that], one had to never think it was funny. You just had to pull on that cowl and believe that no one would recognize you.”
West’s career began in the 1950s, as a children’s TV show host. He played opposite Chuck Connors in Geronimo (1962) and The Three Stooges in The Outlaws Is Coming (1965). For an entirely different generation, his distinctive voice was heard in The Fairly OddParents, The Simpsons and Family Guy, where he played a fictional version of himself.
