Adam West was honoured with a bat-signal lighting up Los Angeles on Thursday (15.06.17).
The iconic star of the 1960s ‘Batman’ TV series passed away on June 9 at the age of 88 following a battle with leukaemia, and in a tribute to the actor Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, along with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, lit a ceremonial bat signal – the sign used to summon The Caped Crusader to help Gotham City in the DC Comics – in his honour.
Mayor Garcetti told the assembled crowd: "Like you, we all spent many hours in front of the TV, same bat time, same bat channel. Adam West taught us each one of us had a heart of gold. There will never be another Batman like Adam West and there will never be another Adam West."
Hundreds of fans, some who donned the iconic Batman costume, cheered when the iconic yellow oval with a bat silhouetted was projected on the wall of City Hall.
On display was a replica red bat-phone which was used by Gotham City’s Commissioner James Gordon to communicate with the vigilante.
A rendition of the TV show theme song was led by the Mayor with many singing "nah-nah, nah-nah, nah-nah, nah-nah".
Burt Ward, 71, who starred alongside West as Batman’s sidekick Robin on the show, said: "He loved humanity. He loved his fans."
In the wake of West’s death, DC Comics paid tribute to the actor, saying his portrayal of the heroic character on screen would forever be associated with Batman and his billionaire alter ego Bruce Wayne.
DC Entertainment President and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns said: "Like many others, Adam West as Batman was part of my childhood. Watching those reruns every day after school, the ‘Batman’ TV show made reading comics that much more real for me growing up."
West – who enjoyed a successful career following the ‘Batman’ series, including voicing a fictional version of himself in animated series ‘Family Guy’ – is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Bat-signal lights up LA in memory of Adam West
