Kevin Conroy is dead. The actor who first began voicing Batman and Bruce Wayne in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series and countless movies and video games in the decades since passed away, according to a statement given to TV Line by his rep. “It is with profound sadness that I send this to you today: Kevin Conroy, the quintessential voice of Batman, and a dear friend to so many of us, has passed away,” the rep said. No cause of death was given at the time.

While B:TAS is known for giving Mark Hamill’s career a jolt with his now-iconic take on The Joker, the series flourished with the nuance and gravitas that came with Kevin’s portrayal of the DC comics’ character. “Kevin was perfection,” said Mark in a statement released from Warner Bros., per Gizmodo. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him —his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”

In addition to the first series, Kevin played Batman on Batman Beyond, Justice League, Superman: The Animated Series, and Justice League Unlimited. He would also voice the character in movies like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. He also returned to the cape and cowl for the hit Batman: Arkham games (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City) as well as the Injustice fighting games.

His only live-action appearance as Bruce Wayne came in 2019, during the Batwoman portion of The Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.

While Kevin was a very private man, his experiences as a gay man during the AIDS crisis came into focus in recent years – especially in how it influenced his portrayal of his character. Kevin contributed a story DC Comics’ Pride Month in 2022, and in 2016, he spoke about the impact of the AIDS pandemic with The New York Times. “I went to so many funerals that I felt such a sense of obligation to do it right,” he said. “Every night I would just wail, feeling all the pain. I couldn’t not feel it. It was a scream of, ‘Look what’s happening to us! Help!’”

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