Since the Batman animated series began in 1992, Kevin Conroy has voiced the superhero in nearly 60 productions. Now he is dying of cancer at the age of 66. Comic fans and Hollywood colleagues mourn the actor and voice actor.

US actor Kevin Conroy is dead. The legendary voice of the comic book character Batman died on Thursday at the age of 66 as a result of cancer, as Warner Bros. and the comic book publisher DC announced. From 1992 to 1996, Conroy was a voice actor in the acclaimed American animated series “Batman” (original title: “Batman: The Animated Series”) and lent his voice to the superhero in almost 60 different productions, including films, series and video games.

The voice actor was born on November 30, 1955 in Westbury, New York. He studied acting at the Juilliard School alongside big-name stars such as Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams. In the 1980s he landed his first roles in television series such as “The Denver Clan” and “Ohara”. When the “Batman” animated series premiered in 1992, it changed his life.

Kevin Conroy was very popular with comic book fans around the world and was a regular performer at conventions. Numerous supporters have already expressed their condolences on social media. Many of the Hollywood star’s colleagues are also mourning publicly. “Kevin was perfection,” “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker, Batman’s antagonist, in the animated series, is quoted in the DC statement. “For several generations he was the ultimate Batman.” In addition, Conroy was one of Hamill’s “favorite people on this planet” and “I loved him like a brother”. The 71-year-old is certain: “He will always be my Batman.”

“He was a dear friend for over 30 years whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds,” said casting director Andrea Romano. “I will always remember Kevin’s warm heart, his wonderfully deep laugh and his pure joie de vivre.”