Adam West, the original Batman, dies at 88 after battle with leukaemia. Twitter raises cowl

Adam West, star of the 1960s’ Batman TV series, has died after a battle with leukaemia.

Updated on: Jun 11, 2017, 08:29:46 IST

Hindustan Times | By HT Correspondent, New Delhi

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Star of the 1960s’ Batman TV series, Adam West, has died at 88 after a battle with leukaemia, according to a family statement.

Adam West was most famous for playing Batman in the 1960s’ TV show and movie.

West died peacefully surrounded by his family and is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, The Hollywood Reporter says.

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

West’s career suffered after he was typecast in Batman-like roles after the show ended its 120 episode run in 1968, but he rebounded in later years with voiceover work, most notably playing the mayor of Quahog in Family Guy.

West also reprised his role as Batman in 2016’s tongue-in-cheek animated film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. He is set to return as the Dark Knight in the film’s 2017 follow-up.

Oh Batman my Batman! I'm standing on my chair to honor #adamwest - the man whose portrayal of costumed justice made me wanna be a good person when I was a boy. The #adamwestbatman was my first Batman at age 4. His performance was campy to most, but to me, that's how true heroes spoke. A lifelong love of the character started with Mr. West's interpretation of what he called, instead of the Dark Knight, the Bright Knight. He brought joy to a somber character and a Fatherly tone to a TV role model. I was lucky enough to meet Adam many times, including the day at @stanleecomiccon when super-fan @ralphgarman and I hosted Adam, Boy Wonder #burtward and movie Catwoman #leemerriweather (where we took this pic). He was pure love and joy. He remained my hero, even in adulthood, as well as a real life role model for interacting with fans. Adam loved his fans - especially #ralphgarman, who worked tirelessly to get Adam a star on the @officialhollywoodwalkoffame. Farewell, Caped Crusader. Off to Superhero Heaven you go, where all your rascally rogues are ready to see you again! Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Heart to broken. #KevinSmith #adamwest #batman #foreverbatman #rip #legend #icon

A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Jun 10, 2017 at 9:13am PDT

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