On Thursday night, Los Angeles will be shining the iconic Bat-Signal in honor of the late Adam West, who once portrayed the esteemed Batman superhero.
Adam West, 88, died last week Friday after suffering from a short battle with leukemia. But though the star may no longer be with us, his legendary on-screen moments will continue to live in the hearts of many.
Before there was a Michael Keaton or a Ben Affleck portraying the role of Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, there was an Adam West. West depicted this iconic role in the 1960s television series Batman, and ever since he’s always been recognized as such. “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.
He was born on Sept. 19, 1928, to parents Otto West Anderson and Audrey V. Speer, who named him William West Anderson. He grew up in Walla Walla, Washington but relocated to Seattle at age 15 following his parent’s divorce. After graduating from Whitman College, he joined the U.S Army where he served as an announcer on American Forces Network Television. In 1960 he married his first wife Billie Lou Yeager, but in six years time, the couple separated. West went on to act in a children’s series called the El Kini Popo Show, where he eventually took on a starring role. He remarried to Frisbie Dawson in 1957 and they had two children, a girl named Jonelle Anderson and a boy named Hunter Anderson. West and Dawson’s marriage too had a short run; by 1962 the couple divorced.
West went on to pursue roles in popular series such as Perry Mason, Outer Limits, and The Rifleman. But his biggest role was as Batman on the pow-crack-bang!-ing TV adaptation of the Batman comics, a series that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1968. Playing the role of Batman was a most memorable time for West, but in some cases a bit too memorable. In 1986, West explained to PEOPLE that the role came at a great disadvantage when he tried to pursue other acting roles, “It was impossible for me to get a role,” he says. “If it got down to the wire for the part of the leading man, the powers that be would say, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing? You can’t put Batman in bed with Faye Dunaway.’ ”
He, however, remained successful on screen as he pursued a career as a voiceover artist. He landed roles in productions such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, the Goosebumps TV series, The Adventures of Pete and Pete The Big Bang Theory, and the most popular, a role as himself on Seth MacFarlene’s Family Guy.
The tribute to the late star will be held tonight at 9:00 PM PST. Along with the LA community, Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, and Charlie Beck, Chief of the LA Police Department will also be joining in on the ceremony. Mayor Garcetti and Chief Beck will light the iconic Bat-signal and project it onto the tower of Los Angeles City Hall at Spring Street.
Guests are also invited to show out their Bat-suits and “trusty utility belts” in honor in honor of the actor. For those who are unable to attend the event, West’s family encourages fans to donate to the Adam West Memorial Fund for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and to Camp Rainbow Gold, an Idaho-based charity for children diagnosed with cancer and their families.
