'Bat Signal' Lights Up LA City Hall In Honor Of Adam West

LOS ANGELES, CA — Stay Calm. The Joker is still safely tucked away in Arkham Asylum. But a mourning Los Angeles on Thursday lit the bat signal, a 70-foot tall projection of a yellow oval with a bat silhouette, onto the side of Los Angeles City Hall in honor of the late "Batman" actor Adam West.

Thousands sporting superhero garb thronged downtown for the celebration of West, best known for his campy portrayal of the Caped Crusader on the 1960s television show "Batman." The ceremony was led by Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Charlie Beck. West died from leukemia Friday at the age of 88.

"I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to turn on the bat signal," Beck said before the mayor lit the bat signal.

Said Garcetti: "Adam West taught us that each one of us had a heart of gold."

"Like you, we all spent many hours in front of the TV, same bat time, same bat channel," he added.

The fictional Gotham City used the Bat Signal to call for help from the Caped Crusader. Los Angeles may not be Gotham City, and West wasn't really Bruce Wayne. But in a town like Hollywood, there is a special place for the actor who could so thoroughly owned a role the way West embodied batman for generations of fans.

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The "Batman" series was filmed in Los Angeles with Bronson Canyon Cave serving as the Bat Cave. The Batmobile driven by West in the series was on display at the ceremony, and relatives of the vehicle's designer, George Barris, were in attendance. Barris died in 2015.

City News Service contributed to this report; Photos: Actor Adam West in his role as masked superhero Batman. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images); City Hall Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department