Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in multiple shows, died Thursday at the age of 66 after a cancer battle. Diane Pershing, the voice of the DC Comics character Poison Ivy, announced Conroy’s death, which was also confirmed by Conroy’s publicist Gary Miereanu.
“Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday,” Pershing wrote on Facebook on Friday in a post that included multiple photos of her and Conroy throughout the years. “He’s been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans. He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world.”
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In an obituary from Miereanu shared with Decider, Conroy’s co-stars, including Mark Hamill, paid tribute to the star. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother,” Hamill, who played The Joker, said of Conroy. “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.”
Conroy first voiced Batman in the 1992 series Batman: The Animated Series, where he stayed for three years. He also voiced Batman in 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as well as other video games and TV movies throughout the ’90s. Some of Conroy’s live-action roles came in Dynasty, Matlock, Murphy Brown and Cheers.
In full, Conroy’s Batman credits include the aforementioned titles as well as The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Tales of Metropolis, Batman and Harley Quinn, Justice League Action Shorts, Justice League Action, Justice League vs the Fatal Five and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?. His final Batman credit is listed on IMDb as the upcoming TV series Batman: Caped Crusader, which is currently filming. Conroy was set to play Thomas Wayne in the show, which is slated for a 2023 premiere.
As reported by PopCulture.com’s sister site ComicBook.com, Conroy wrote a story in this year’s Pride anthology for DC. He thanked fans in a heartfelt social media video for the heartfelt response: “Hi, this is Kevin Conroy. I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you for the reactions that I’ve been getting to the story that I wrote for DC Pride,” Conroy said. “It’s been overwhelming, and it is so appreciated. You know, whenever you share something that personal, you risk, and you all made that risk so worthwhile because the support and the appreciation has been extraordinary. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. … Never underestimate how much I appreciate each and every one of you and what you give me back for my performances. It means the world to me. Take care.”
Conroy is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy and brother Tom Conroy.
