Kevin Conroy, famous for lending his voice to many animated renditions of the iconic comic book hero Batman, has passed away at age 66, according to reports by Conroy’s former coworkers.
Diane Pershing, who often worked alongside Conroy as the voice of Poison Ivy in many DC Comics animated television series, posted the following on Facebook:
Conroy is perhaps best known for his role of Batman in a wide variety of animated television shows based on DC Comics, including the likes of Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and Justice League: The Brave and the Bold.
He also voiced the character in the DC Animated Universe franchise of films, including but not limited to Batman: Gotham Knight, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and Batman: The Killing Joke.
His perennial place as the voice of Batman expanded to video games as well, lending his talents to the Batman: Arkham and Injustice series of games, as well as Lego DC Super-Villains and MultiVersus.
Outside of Batman, he also voiced characters in The Venture Bros., Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Conroy’s impact on the DC Comics community is mirrored by that of his impact on the LGBTQIA+ community. A gay man, Conroy was open about his experience of living in New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis, an experience that he drew upon when he penned Finding Batman, a critically-acclaimed one-shot that he wrote for DC Pride’s 2022 anthology collection. In the story, Conroy recounts his own heart-wrenching tale of growing up queer, compounded by an intolerant society and family issues, as we learn how he ended up connecting with the character of Batman, and ultimately how he first came to be the voice of the Caped Crusader; a voice that has and will continue to touch the hearts of comic book fans for generations.