Kevin Smith Eulogizes Batman Star Kevin Conroy, "The Best Incarnation of the Character Ever Played

During his Clerks III "In Convenience Tour," filmmaker Kevin Smith took time out on stage to talk about the passing of Kevin Conroy, the voice actor behind Batman: The Animated Series and numerous other animated projects (plus The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths"). Calling Conroy the "best incarnation" of the character, Smith teared up, recalling stories of his interactions with Conroy and praising  his performance as the Dark Knight as well as his personal character.

Conroy passed away last week at 66 years old after a battle with cancer. Since that time, tributes from all around pop culture have been pouring in.

"It sucks losing anybody that's exceptional at their job," Smith said. "It sucks when you lose the ones that are beautiful human beings. That guy was such a good guy....So, yeah, I'll miss him forever."

You can see the full clip below.

"That voice, the voice of Batman as portrayed by Kevin Conroy -- and, of course, Bruce Wayne, he does Bruce Wayne as well -- became the voice, very quickly, within a year, became the voice that I heard whenever I read a comic book, because he became the definitive Batman."

Conroy is widely known for lending his voice to the Caped Crusader in the 1990s hit animated series Batman: The Animated Series, along with other projects from Warner Bros. Animation. The actor quickly became the definitive voice for the Dark Knight, while also making a live-action appearance in The CW crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths," portraying an older Bruce Wayne from Earth-99. Kevin Conroy was a fixture on the convention scene as well, making connections with fans and other professionals that made his loss even more acutely felt.

One of Kevin Conroy's final contributions to DC was writing a story in this year's Pride anthology. Shortly after, he took to social media to thank fans for their outpouring of support.

"I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you for the reactions that I've been getting to the story that I wrote for DC Pride," Conroy said. "It's been overwhelming, and it is so appreciated. You know, whenever you share something that personal, you risk, and you all made that risk so worthwhile because the support and the appreciation has been extraordinary."