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On Thursday Night, the Bat-Signal lit up City Hall at a celebration to honor the late Adam West, who died at age 88 last week after a battle with leukemia. West brought Batman to international fame in his role as the title character for the perfectly kitschy Batman series in the 1960s.
The turnout for the event was large, with some of the "Bat-guests" dressed up as their favorite superheroes and villains. Also on hand were some of West's co-stars from the Batman series—Burt Ward (the original Robin) and Lee Meriwether (Catwoman)—as well as some of his family members, including his wife Marcelle West.
It worked! Batman showed up. (Photo by Tod Seelie/LAist)
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Charlie Beck addressed the crowd, with the mayor declaring, “Like you, we all spent many hours in front of the TV, same bat time, same bat channe. Adam West taught us each one of us had a heart of gold. There will never be another Batman like Adam West and there will never be another Adam West.”
Beck later tweeted, "Everyday I think to myself 'if only I could flip on the bat signal' — tonight I got to." He also got to stand beside the red Bat-Phone! Two Batmobiles were also on display at the event.
We gather tonight to pay our respects to the original caped crusader, our beloved Adam West. #BrightKnight pic.twitter.com/ocW6aeXIgV
— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) June 16, 2017
When the Bat-Signal was finally switched on, around 9 p.m., car horns started blasting from all over, which you can hear in the video below. There were also two brief sing-a-longs, led by Garcetti, of the Batman theme song.