Fans and friends of Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy have flooded social media following his shock death at the age of 66.

His reps confirmed the sad news that Conroy – who voiced DC’s iconic superhero in Batman: The Animated Series and the Arkham video games – died following a “short battle with cancer.”

As reported by New York Post, co-star Diane Pershing, who voiced Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series, was among the first to break the news of Conroy’s death on social media with an emotional message to her co-star.

“Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “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.”

She continued, “Below are pictures of Kevin with Loren Lester who plays Robin another with me 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.”

Fans, friends and celebrities were quick to flood social media with tributes to the star, whose final project was the 2019 animated movie Justice League vs. the Fatal Five.

Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon paid tribute to the star, posting: “So sad to hear about Kevin Conroy. He was THE voice of Batman for generations, including our Injustice games. So iconic. What a loss. RIP.”

Mark Hamill, who played the Joker in the ’90s animated series and Arkham games, also paid tribute to Conroy, calling him 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,” he said in a statement. “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.”

Tara Strong, who famously voiced Batgirl alongside Conroy, also posted a heartfelt 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”

Earlier this year, Conroy penned a personal story for the DC Pride 2022 comic anthology discussing how coming out as gay helped him find his voice as Bruce Wayne.

“It seemed to roar from thirty years of frustration, confusion, denial, love, yearning… yearning for what? An anchor, a harbour, a sense of safety, a sense of identity,” he wrote in the story Finding Batman. “Yes, I can relate. This is the terrain I know well. I felt Batman rising from deep within.”

He is survived by his husband, Vaughn C. Williams.

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