Recently, Burt Ward, who is popular for his portrayal of Robin, the Boy Wonder in the popular 1960s TV show Batman, shared heartfelt memories and reflections on his friendship with the late Adam West. West, who played the iconic Batman, sadly passed away following a brief struggle with leukemia at the age of 88 on June 9, 2017.
In a recent interview with Fox New Digital, the actor opened up about the deep bond he formed with West during their time working together on the beloved superhero series. He fondly recalled their shared experiences, both on and off the set, and highlighted the immense impact his death had on his life.
Burt Ward says Adam West’s death was very unexpected
The 77-year-old expressed his deep shock upon hearing the news. He recounted how, just three weeks before the sad occurrence, he and West had made a joint appearance at a signing event, noting that he was in high spirits during their encounter. “This really bothered me. His death – this shouldn’t have happened. I knew Adam was not feeling well,” Ward admitted. “He had gone to the hospital for some tests. I later learned that he had leukemia. But I truly believed he had many years ahead of him.”
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Ward revealed that he was devastated throughout the rest of their event. “After he died, I continued with the rest of our tour because it had already been pre-booked all across the country,” he confessed. “As I signed autographs and met fans, I would look over to my right. There was that other table with an empty chair. That was tough. I was just so heartbroken. He was always busy doing stuff. He always made plans for the future. I don’t think anyone expected him to be gone so quickly. I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
Burt Ward speaks about his friendship with Adam West
Ward admitted that he and West bonded quickly on the set of Batman because they were contemporaries. “When I got the series, I had to co-sign with my parents because, in California, it was illegal for a 20-year-old person to be bound by a contract without their parent’s signature, Adam was the closest person in age to me, and he just became an incredibly great friend. In 15 minutes, I got to know him. We were two peas in a pod that very first day we met. Within 10 minutes, we were laughing, not knowing how much our lives were going to change,” he explained. “My gosh, he was so funny, Adam had a way of saying things that had a double meaning. And I just found it hilarious. I remembered we would even meet up on weekends when we weren’t filming to play tennis. I think one of the many reasons why ‘Batman’ was so successful was because the friendship was so genuine.”
Also, reflecting on their off-screen friendship, the 77-year-old shared that they always had a great time whenever they met. “We could just sit down and not have anything to talk about, and within minutes, we were just laughing, reminiscing, talking about current events, and remembering the good times,” Ward confessed. “Whenever he came over to my house, we just had the greatest time. My wife adored him. I remember when he first met her, and he was just so gracious. We hugged, and he just admired the beautiful diamond ring I got her. He was truly the funniest, nicest guy. Gosh, just thinking about him. I miss him so much. He should be here.”