The voice actor died Thursday following a short battle with cancer, DC Comics announced.
Kevin Conroy, the voice actor whose distinct voice will forever be synonymous with Batman after voicing the character on Batman: The Animated Series and a number of other Batman projects, has died. He was 66.
In a statement to ET, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Animation said the production company is "saddened by the loss of our dear friend Kevin Conroy." The statement continued, "His iconic performance of Batman will forever stand among the greatest portrayals of the Dark Knight in any medium. We send our warmest thoughts to his loved ones and join fans around the world in honoring his legacy.
DC Comics, the comic book publishing home of the Cape Crusader, announced Friday in a statement that Conroy died Thursday after a short battle with cancer. Conroy helmed Bruce Wayne's voice in Batman: The Animated Series from 1992 to 1996. According to DC Comics, he'd go on to voice Batman in nearly 60 different productions, including 15 films.
Conroy would also go on to voice Batman in 15 animated series, which spanned nearly 400 episodes. His famous scratchy voice can also be heard in two dozen video games. Most recently, Conroy spent lots of time meeting and greeting comic book fans at conventions throughout the world.
Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker opposite Conroy, is remembering the late voice actor as "perfection" and "one of my favorite people on the planet." Hamill said he loved Conroy "like a brother."
"He truly cared for the people around him -- his decency shone through everything he did," Hamill said in a statement. "Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated."
Emmy-winning casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano also released a statement remembering Conroy as "a dear friend for 30+ years" and "whose kindness and generous spirit knew no boundaries."
Fellow voice actress Diana Pershing took to Facebook and paid tribute to her longtime friend.
"Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday. He's been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans," she wrote. "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."
Conroy was born on Nov. 30, 1955 in Westbury, New York, and studied acting at the famed Juilliard School, where he studied alongside Christopher Reeve, Frances Conroy and his roommate, Robin Williams.
While his acting career led him to stage theater (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Eastern Standard) and eventually film and TV shows such as Dynasty, Tour of Duty, Cheers and Murphy Brown, Conroy etched his name in comic book lore after making his debut as Batman's voice on Sept. 5, 1992, the premiere date for Batman: The Animated Series.
He'd go on to voice Batman in Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited. Some of his Batman films included Batman: the Killing Joke and Batman: Gotham Knight. He was so passionate about voicing the character, Conroy spent this past Halloween showing off the bats at his home, or as he called it, Wayne Manor.
Conroy is survived by his husband, Vaughn C. Williams, sister, Trisha Conroy, and brother, Tom Conroy.
RELATED CONTENT:
