He’ll always be our hero
Original telly Batman star Adam West dies aged 88
IT is a dark day in the world of crime fighting – the original caped crusader has died.
The star who protected Gotham City from villains such as The Joker and The Penguin in the 60s has gone to the great bat cave in the sky.
Adam West died peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Friday after a short battle with leukaemia. He was 88 years old.
He was surrounded by his family and is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and t wo great-grandchildren.
West had a number of voiceover roles after playing Batman including, more recently, as mayor of Quahog in the cartoon Family Guy.
But to millions of TV fans he will remain the superhero who, with trusted sidekick Robin, thwarted the most dastardly plots dreamed up by evil criminal masterminds.
The pair camped up the adventures and definitely played it for laughs. And their fight scenes were spiced up by exclamations such as “Kapow” and “Splat” appearing on screen.
West was offered the role after being spotted playing a James Bond-style character in an advert. He signed on the spot and agreed to the casting of Burt Ward, who had no acting experience, as Robin.
West knew just the right approach for the comic book crime fighter role.
He said:“You can’t play Batman in a serious, square-jawed, straight-ahead way. To play him for laughs, you had to never think it was funny.”
Ward, 71, and West worked together only from 1966-1968 on Batman but their friendship lasted.
They last saw each other at an autograph show two weeks ago.
He said: “I am devastated at the loss of one my very dearest friends.
“Adam and I had a special friendship for more than 50 years.
“We shared some of the most fun times of our lives together.
“Our families have deep love and respect for each other. This is a terribly unexpected loss of my lifelong friend. I will for ever miss him. Several fine actors have portrayed Batman in films. In my eyes, there was only one real Batman – that is, and always will be, Adam West.”
A statement by the West family read:“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.”