As you may have already heard, Adam West of Batman and Family Guy fame has passed away at the age of 88 following a short battle with leukemia.

Although West was primarily known for his time as Batman in the '60s TV series, West had a career resurgence with the animated comedy series Family Guy, starring Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis and Seth Green.

In a statement released to media, Burt Ward - who played Robin in the '60s TV series - said that he was "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 forever miss him.There are several fine actors who have portrayed Batman in films. In my eyes, there was only one real Batman that is and always will be Adam West. He was truly the Bright Knight.”

Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman, echoed Ward's sentiments, saying that West was "stellar, exemplar, a king to the end."

"He was bright, witty and fun to work with. I will miss him in the physical world and savor him always in the world of imagination and creativity. He meant so much to people. A friend said: ‘The father that we wanted.’ That is a great gift, no matter how you live it.”

Meanwhile, on social media, actors and directors such as Edgar Wright and Kevin Smith gave tribute to the enduring appeal of West and their own recollections of meeting the actor.

 

 

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

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