TV’s original Batman Adam West has died at 88

Adam West, the iconic star of the campy 1960s “Batman” TV series, died Friday at the age of 88 in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia.

Although he was already immortalized as the Caped Crusader, a younger generation had embraced West for his role voicing the corrupt, crackpot Mayor Adam West in the animated comedy TV series “Family Guy.”

The “Batman” series spawned a 1966 movie version and an array of merchandise, including lunchboxes, dolls and toy Batmobiles.

Both nights of “Batman” were rated in the top-10 list of shows for the 1965-66 season. But as with any fad, the show’s popularity eventually began to fade.

By the fall of 1967, the series was cut back to once a week, and it was canceled in March 1968.