Lenny B Robinson, who for years had been cheering up sick children as Batman, died on Sunday after he met with an accident. Robinson was reportedly driving east on I-70 when his Lamborghini broke down. When he pulled over to check the engine, another vehicle rammed into his car, which then hit him. The 51-year-old was declared dead at the scene.
Better known as the Route 29 Batman, Robinson from Maryland dressed up as Batman and drove his custom made Batmobile to meet sick children in hospitals. He shot to fame in 2012 after a video of the Montgomery County police stopping him- dressed in his Batman attire and driving his Batmobile- on Route 29 went viral.
According to The Washington Post, Robinson started wearing the Batman costume because one of his sons was a huge fan of the superhero. And he continued doing so after it clicked with other children as well. "The good deeds he did in character were, in some ways, penance for a temper that had led him to fights and run-ins with the law years ago," states the report.
Robinson once said, "Batman is the only superhero that doesn’t have superpowers. He’s naturally a superhero. Kids can relate to me a lot better."
Robinson used to work in the cleaning business which he later sold to volunteer full-time. Apart from spending hundreds of dollars on his costume and maintaining his car, his brother said that Robinson also gifted trinkets to children which were autographed "Batman".
A CNN report quotes him as saying, "You see what's going on. It has to be moving. Sometimes you're crying on the inside, but you're strong on the outside. These are the real superheroes. It's not me; it's not you. They're fighting for their lives every single day."
All images source: Lenny B. Robinson/Facebook