The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Tributes pour in for caped crusader actor Adam West who has died at 88
Tributes have flooded in for the late Adam West, with one of his Batman successors and his Family Guy co-star leading the emotional outpouring.
West, who died aged 88 on Friday night after a “short but brave battle with leukaemia” according to his family, was best known for his role as the caped crusader.
In recent years he had voiced the character Mayor Adam West in more than 100 episodes of Seth MacFarlane’s satirical cartoon Family Guy.
MacFarlane wrote: “Family guy has lost its mayor, and I have lost a friend.
“Adam West was a joy to work with, and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around.
“His positivity, good nature, and sense of fun were always undeniable, and it was always a big jolt of the best kind of energy when he walked in to record the show.
“He knew comedy, and he knew humanity.
“I am beyond fortunate to have had the privilege of working with him, and he will be profoundly missed by all of us.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given, Mr Mayor. “You’re irreplaceable.” Val Kilmer, who played the superhero in 1995’s Batman Forever, also shared his sorrow.
He 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.”
Mark Hamill, who appeared in later incarnations of Batman and worked with West on a short called Batman: New Times, shared his condolences.
He tweeted: “#AdamWest was such a wonderful actor & so kind, I’m so lucky to have worked w/ him & tell him how much he meant to me & millions of fans.”
Star tributes to the actor, who rose to fame during the 1960s for his camp TV portrayal of Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, continued.
Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted: “Holy heartbreak Batman. Adam West was a big part of my childhood.”
George Takei added: “RIP Adam West. You’ll always be Batman to me.”
While Batman remained his signature role, West also collected nearly 50 movie credits including roles in Drop Dead Gorgeous, The New Age, An American Vampire Story, Robinson Crusoe On Mars.
He notched up a number of other TV roles, lending his vocals to The Simpsons, Rugrats and Johnny Bravo.
Born in 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington state, he launched his acting career in Hawaii in the 1950s.
He is survived by his wife, Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.