The original Catwoman pays tribute to her Batman - 'the finest ever'

Ben Affleck, who now portrays Batman in films, paid tribute to the man who first brought Bruce Wayne to the screen following Adam West's death at the age of 88.

Unlike the Batmen who came after him - Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck among them - West's Batman was carved from pure camp. "I will forever miss him", Ward told the Variety entertainment media outlet. The actor was surrounded by his family and is said to have died peacefully. "He was bright, witty and fun to work with".

Despite his long association with the one role, West, who was born William West Anderson, had quite a prolific career, with notable early roles in the film The Young Philadelphians (with Paul Newman) and a number of television series including Lawman, Overland Trail, Johnny Midnight and The Detectives.

"Sad to hear of Adam West's passing".

"RIP Adam West. First person I saw who was amusing, badass & cool all at once." - actor Kumail Nanjiani? on Twitter.

He was a graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla and served in the Army as an announcer on armed forces television.

Burt Ward, left, and Adam West pose for photos while walking the red carpet prior to the TV Land Awards.

Batman was the role he would remain associated with throughout his life. "Kind, amusing and an all around great guy".

Commonly known as Adam West, he had made a record 156 individual screen appearances as Batman, including 120 in the live-action television series, along with several animated series. "Such a super amusing, cool, charismatic actor".

An online search of the Sun Valley directory for Adam West results in a prompt to "See Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)", which results in "Please consult Crime Fighters in the Yellow Pages", leading to "See Batman", leading back to Adam West. Loved the show as a kid, still love the show now.

"My childhood hero & still my favorite Batman". In 1956, West got a divorce and married a Tahitian girl, Nga Frisbie Dawson, with whom he had a son and daughter, though that marriage also ended, in 1962. Marcelle, his wife of 47 years, was by his side.

"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".