News North America

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Legendary Batman actor Adam West dies aged 88

Adam West, left, and Burt Ward, dressed as their characters Batman and Robin. (AP Photo/Mark Elias, File)
Adam West, left, and Burt Ward, dressed as their characters Batman and Robin. (AP Photo/Mark Elias, File)
Actor Adam West attends the Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Press Room at New York Comic-Con - Day 1 at Jacob Javits Center on October 6, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Adam West is reprising his role as the Caped Crusader, this time in an animated adventure (AP)
Independent.ie Newsdesk

Independent.ie Newsdesk

Adam West, who starred as Batman in the 1960s television series, has died at the age of 88, according to his family.

“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,” they said in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter.

According to reports the legendary actor died after a short battle with leukemia.

West achieved global fame when he was cast as the caped crusade in 1966. The show only ran for three seasons before it was cancelled by ABC.

Despite this, the show was repeated constantly for the next two decades and generations of US and Irish children grew up watching it.

In a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television, he said he read the pilot script and found the mix of absurdity and action impossible to resist.

"You can’t play Batman in a serious, square-jawed, straight-ahead way without giving the audience the sense that there’s something behind that mask waiting to get out, that he’s a little crazed, he’s strange."

Social media has been flooded with messages paying tribute to West:

Online Editors

Today's news headlines, directly to your inbox every morning.

Editors Choice

Also in World News