By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt

Adam West, the man behind the bat mask in the campy 1960’s TV version of Batman has died at the age of 88.

West, who become part of pop culture after Batman debuted in January 1966, only to see his career fall victim to typecasting after the ABC show flamed out, died Friday night in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia, a family spokesperson said.

West died peacefully surrounded by his family and is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“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.

After his career was in a slump for years, West reached a new level of fame when he accepted an offer to voice the mayor of Quahog — named Adam West on Seth MacFarlane’s long-running Fox animated hit Family Guy.

I also enjoyed West in the 1965 Three Stooges movie “The Outlaws Is Coming.”

NewzBreaker extends our condolences to the West Family in their time of grief.

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