Rest in Peace: Adam West; Small-Screen Batman Dies at Age 88
We have some sad news to share today as word has just arrived that Adam West, star of the classic 1960’s “Batman” TV series, has passed away at the age of 88. According to a family spokesperson, West died Friday night, June 9th, in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia.
Per THR, West died peacefully surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Marcelle; six children; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
“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.
Although he’s now much beloved by fans for his tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the caped crusader, after the series ended, West struggled to find work. “The people who were hiring, the people who were running the studios, running the shows, were dinosaurs,” the actor said in the 2013 documentary Starring Adam West. “They thought Batman was a big accident, that there was no real creative thought, expertise, or art behind it. They were wrong.”
His fortunes changed when he accepted an offer to voice the mayor of Quahog (named Adam West) on Seth MacFarlane’s long-running Fox animated hit “Family Guy,” thereby finding a whole new audience to appreciate his talents.
When “Batman” was canceled, “The only thing I thought is that it would be the end of me, and it was for a bit,” he told an audience at Comic-Con in 2014. “But then I realized … we created this zany, lovable world. I look around, and I see the adults — I see you grew up with me, and you believe in the adventure. I never believed this would happen, that I would be up here with illustrious people like yourselves. I’m so grateful! I’m the luckiest actor in the world, folks, to have you still hanging around.”
Adam graced the horror genre with his presence numerous times over his career, appearing in such iconic shows as “Tales from the Crypt,” “Night Gallery,” “Goosebumps,” and “The Outer Limits”; and on the big screen he was seen in Zombie Nightmare, One Dark Night, An American Vampire Story, and Seance.
We here at Dread Central send Adam’s family members and friends our deepest condolences. Thanks for the memories, sir… we’ll see you in the Bat Cave!
Categorized:News
