Kevin Conroy, the beloved voice actor who played Batman for 30 years, has tragically passed away at the age of 66.
The news was confirmed by the Peter Mayhew Foundation on Twitter, run by famed Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew’s family.
“Members of the Batman animated family are reporting that Kevin Conroy has passed away. We had the privilege of attending conventions alongside Kevin over the years and are heartbroken by this news,” the tweet read.
Conroy originally played the Dark Knight in Batman: The Animated Series starting in 1992, and while the series concluded in 1995 after over 100 episodes, Conroy’s interpretation of the character had come to define him for a whole generation of fans, making him the only choice to play the character across series such as Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Teen Titans Go!, not to mention video games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and MultiVersus, released this year–with many surely set for the future.
“People fantasize about being a hero and helping someone in trouble. Batman is that fantasy realized–not just for Bruce Wayne, but for the audience. Inwardly, Bruce Wayne is still an adolescent watching his parents being murdered. That will never leave him. And people really relate to that,” he once said about playing the character.
Conroy was still tweeting as of Halloween, when he posted “Happy Halloween! The Bats are out at Wayne Manor” to his 216,000 followers.
I myself had the opportunity to meet Conroy and discuss his love for the role at length, and he had nothing but kind words to say about the fandom that had embraced him so thoroughly, and for the character he helped bring to life for millions across the world.
While there have been many Batmans (Batmen?), from Adam West to Michael Keaton to Christian Bale, Conroy’s was long considered the purest interpretation of the character, and will continue to be the one that people measure against. He was, quite simply, the best Batman.
We’ll miss you, Kevin. Batman RIP.