George Barris, the man who designed and created some of Hollywood's most iconic cars for television shows and films over the last four decades, died Thursday at his Los Angeles residence at the age of 89, according to TheWrap.
"Sorry to have to post that my father, legendary kustom car king George Barris, has moved to the bigger garage in the sky," his son Brett wrote in a private Facebook post.
"He passed on peacefully in his sleep at 2:45 am. He was surrounded by his family in the comfort of his home. He lived his life the way he wanted till the end. He would want everyone to celebrate the passion he had for life and for what he created for all to enjoy."
Barris designed iconic automobiles such as The Munster Koach for the 1960s TV show "The Munsters," Black Beauty, the car Bruce Lee used in the TV show "The Green Hornet," the "Beverly Hillbillies" jalopy and the K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, he was most famous for creating the Batmobile for "Batman," which he built from a 1955 Lincoln Futura. The car was sold at an auction two years ago for a whopping $4.2 million.
Born in Chicago in 1925, George Barris moved to Southern California after the death of his parents several years later, where he and his brother Sam started repairing cars as teenagers. The two opened Barris Brothers Custom Shop in Los Angeles in 1945.
After forming the hobby club "Kustoms of America," his work caught the eye of Hollywood, and he got his first assignment in the film industry with 1958's "High School Confidential."
The car designer's last public appearance was last month at an event in Van Nuys, Calif., to promote a book based on his work. The book, titled "King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris," was released on Sept. 1.
