Adam West lives! Well, at least his cartoon version does as Family Guy producer Steve Callaghan reveals their plans for the late actor, who recently passed away at the age of 88.
Aside from portraying our childhood Batman , the later actor also made a name in lending his voice and his name to the Mayor of Quahog in the hit FOX animated series Family Guy.
But very sad news engulfed the industry as the Hollywood Reporter revealed the passing of the actor behind the mask of the 1960s Caped Crusader on June 9, 2017. According to the outlet, West finally succumbed to leukemia while surrounded by his family in Los Angeles.
“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero,” West’s family said in a statement at the time.
Upon West’s death, the world not only lost the iconic Caped Crusader, but also the man who breathed life to the infamous Adam West, Mayor of Quahog in the Family Guy.
Joining the animated series in 2000, West’s death came as a “complete shock” to his Family Guy friends as Callaghan revealed how they felt after hearing the devastating news in an interview with Entertainment Weekly .
“It was very shocking, which seems like such an odd thing to say about someone who is in their late 80s,” he said.
“But, the thing about Adam West is that every time he would come to record, he was just vital and healthy and had so much energy and happiness — no one that you would ever think wouldn’t be with you much longer.”
Our beloved AW passed away last night. He was the greatest. We’ll miss him like crazy. We know you’ll miss him too – West Family pic.twitter.com/8bkEq1C2ao
— Adam West (@therealadamwest) June 10, 2017
At the time, Callaghan also recalled how he and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane decided to create West’s character as the Mayor of Quahog. His history as Batman was never mentioned in the entire series, which is something of a joke among the team as the character has already appeared in 100 episodes by far.
When asked what he plans to do to the character in the upcoming Season 15 of the Family Guy considering how far ahead the production already is, Callaghan revealed something that most fans of the show would be happy of: Mayor Adam West lives for five more episodes.
This Sunday’s #FamilyGuy honors the late, great Adam West. Tune in at 9:30/8:30c for a tribute to your favorite Quahog mayor. pic.twitter.com/lMnqRr3KnY
— Family Guy (@FamilyGuyonFOX) June 15, 2017
“Mayor West will be in five more episodes of the show that are scheduled to air this coming season.”
He also expressed his hopes that fans would appreciate and cherish the last few episodes where Adam West dubbed Mayor Adam West.
However, Callaghan admitted that Adam was irreplaceable and that the members of the creative team have yet to think of what to do with his character after the five episodes have been aired.
“What I hope people take from it is just a real appreciation for how much he brought to the series all these years, and how hard it’s going to be to fill the vacancy that he’s leaving.”
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[Featured Image by FOX]