Actor Adam West -- best known as television's Batman -- died Friday evening surrounded by his loved ones at his Los Angeles home following a courageous battle with leukemia at the age of 88.
Fans mourn the loss of 'Batman' Adam West
Adam West's death was confirmed by his family via a statement: "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.”
Adam West's role of Batman will forever remain a childhood classic
West starred as superhero Bruce Wayne/Batman from 1966-1968 on the ABC hit "Batman," and to this day the show continues to remain a hit.
Following his stint as the Caped Crusader, West is reported to have struggled for years without a steady job before finally striking gold when he accepted the job as the mayor of Quahog on Seth MacFarlane's long-running Fox animated hit "Family Guy."
West's film credentials throughout his career include, "The Young Philadelphians," and "Red Planet in Robinson Crusoe on Mars." He also contributed his voice to the animated "Redux Riding Hood" and it received an Oscar nomination for best short film.
The Batman and Robin series debuted at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, 1966, a Wednesday. The big draw to the series, besides the superheroes and crime fighting, was the evening cliffhangers.
The popular cliffhanger series made sure to leave fans sitting on the edge of their seats and tuning back in the very next night with the popular phrase: "Same Bat-time!
Same Bat-channel!" In a previous interview according to CNN, Adam West once joked about finally receiving his Hollywood Star on the Walk of Fame, revealing that he believed he set the record for the actor who waited the longest to get his star.
Following his long-running role as Batman, West continued to make numerous appearances as the character and wrote a 1994 autobiography titled "Back to the Batcave." He also provided the voice of Batman in numerous cartoons.
When asked about what he was most proud of throughout his career, he answered that wherever he went across the world, he was recognized, and fans always had such a "wonderful rapport" with Batman. He described himself as lucky to be part of something so classic and wonderful.
Burt Ward, who played Robin, called Adam's passing a terrible and unexpected loss of his lifetime friend, according to CBS.
Celebrities and fans are flooding Adam West's social media pages with condolences and memories. At this time, memorial service arrangements have not been released.
Adam West is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
