Batman star Adam West dies aged 88

June 12, 2017

On Friday night,, a US actor best known for his role as Batman in 1960s television series , died at the age of 88 in Los Angeles, his family spokesperson said. Before his death, West "fought a short but brave battle with ", his family said via. Actors, , and , comic book writer ,  creator as well as author  paid tribute to Adam West via Twitter. Affleck and Kilmer portrayed the titular character in, the 2016 film ' and the 1995 film ' respectively.

, who played the role of Batman's sidekick in the TV series with West, paid tribute via  magazine. , who played the role of in the 1960s show, paid tribute as well via the  radio program . president and CEO and publisher  paid tribute via 's official blog.

Adam West, younger of the two brothers, was born on September 19, 1928 in. His father was a wheat farmer and his mother was a pianist and an opera singer. He received a in English literature from  and worked as a station master at  while he was a graduate student.

West worked at McClatchy station in Sacramento, California before moving to Hawaii, where he hosted a weekday show in the late 1950s. He moved to in 1959 and signed a contract with  He appeared in multiple series before portraying Detective Sergeant Steve Nelson in the 1959–62 television series,, from 1961 to 1962. His film debut was the 1959 film , starring. Before Batman, West appeared in many films throughout the 1960s.

and Adam West auditioned for the role of Batman while Peter Deyell and Burt Ward auditioned for the role of Robin. Batman TV series debuted on January 12, 1966 on the network. Though the first season was a success, two subsequent seasons had a significant drop in the, and it was cancelled in March 1968.

After Batman, West was given typecast roles throughout his career. He voiced Batman in animated shows, like ', ', and . He also voiced a role in an Academy Award-nominated 1997 short film. He also voiced the role of in Family Guy, which MacFarlane called an "alternative universe" version of West.

West married Marcelle in 1970; each had two children from their previous marriages. After the marriage, the couple had two children. West is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.