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Adam West, the legendary actor who brought Batman to life on the small screen, left us suddenly in 2017 after a short but fierce battle with leukemia. Dr. Michael Hunter, a series expert, has been digging deep into West's lifestyle, including his smoking, drinking, and the depression he faced after the cancellation of the Batman series, to understand the possible causes of his illness.
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After the campy superhero series was axed in 1968, West found himself typecast and struggled to land acting roles. However, he didn't hang up his cape for good.
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West found a new niche in voiceover work, lending his distinctive voice to animated hits like 'Family Guy' and 'The Simpsons.' Despite the setbacks, West remained a beloved figure, especially at pop-culture conventions where he connected with fans old and new.
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West's final years were marked by his private fight with leukemia, a detail that few were privy to. "I didn't know there was anything wrong with him," confessed Gary Sohmers, a close friend and Comic Con producer.
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West's decision to keep his illness under wraps was a testament to his character, always the superhero, never wanting to show vulnerability.
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As fans and friends alike mourned the loss of a television icon, many questions remain about what led to West's rapid decline. The fact is, death took him faster than it takes most people in his situation.
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The REELZ documentary, 'Autopsy: The Last Hours of Adam West', promised to shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death.
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In his final years, West was a fixture at pop culture conventions. At the events he signed autographs and posed for photos with a new generation of fans.
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“I didn’t know there was anything wrong with him and I saw him six weeks before he passed,” says Gary Sohmers, a longtime friend and producer of Comic Con.
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"His superhero stature as "Batman" preceded his ability to be vulnerable and human, so he couldn’t let us know he was suffering,” West’s former publicist, Hal Lifson, notes in the special.
Actor Adam West, best known as TV’s "Batman," died suddenly in Los Angeles in 2017. He was 88 years old and left behind a legacy that continues to inspire to this day. West began a rich tradition of superheroes.
In his final years, West was a fixture at pop-culture conventions where he signed autographs and posed for photos with a new generation of fans.