A number of Batman voice stars led tributes to Kevin Conroy, known to many as the voice of Batman to a generation, who has died at the age of 66, including Tara Strong, Mark Hamill and Diane Pershing. Conroy first played the DC superhero in Batman: The Animated Series from 1992 to 1995 and continued to prove the voice of the character in many animated films and TV shows up to more recent direct to video movies like Batman: The Killing Joke and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five in 2019. In addition to this, Conroy also voiced Batman in a number of video games such as the Rocksteady Arkham series of games. He also played a live action version of Bruce Wayne in the Batwoman episode of The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. His most recent roles were voicing Mer-Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Hordak in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for Netflix.
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Actress Diane Pershing, who voiced Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series, was one of the first to break the news of Conroy’s passing, publishing her thoughts and feelings on her Facebook page. She wrote:
In tribute to the passing of Conroy, Tara Strong posted an emotional message on her social media account, simply saying, “I don’t have the words. Not today. My heart is broken. There will never be another. He IS #Batman. #RIPLEGEND”
“Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday. 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. Below are pictures of Kevin with Loren Lester who plays Robin another with me and and Tara Strong who is in the later episodes of Batman cartoons. And then finally, one of Kevin and me in front of the huge audiences we used to get when we did our panels. RIP, friend”
New DC Studios head James Gunn, who will soon be delivering a whole new wave of DC projects, shared a post by Collider’s Steven Weintraub, adding nothing but a praying hands emoji, which certainly captured how many of Conroy’s colleagues, friends and fans are feeling right now.
Mark Hamill, who worked with Conroy multiple times when voicing the Joker, as well on Masters of the Universe: Revelation, provided a lengthy, heartfelt message, echoing the sentiment shared by many that “He will always be my Batman.” Hamill’s comments were shared by the Joker page on Facebook, and read:
“Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever. Kevin was perfection. 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. Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”
Kevin Conroy’s Many Fans Flooded Social Media With Messages of Sadness and Thanks
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Whether it was people who worked on some of the games that Conroy provided a voice to, or fans who grew up with his version of Batman, there were hundreds of people quick to share their heartbreak at the news of his passing. While there have been many versions of the Caped Crusader over the decades, for many Conroy was one of the best. Here are some further messages shared in the last few hours since his death was announced, and we obviously add our condolences to these.
