Stan Lee, who singlehandedly put on the map blockbuster movies based comic book with such iconic superheroes as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and X-Men, dies at 95.
Lee was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in LA on Monday for medical emergency, and was declared dead shortly afterwards.
Working primarily with artist Jack Kirby, Lee was very prolific, writing as many as a half-dozen titles or more a month, He succeeded in transformed Marvel Comics into a powerful movies that often featured socially relevant stories that spoke to young readers.
The titles Lee authored included those featuring Spider-Man (with artist Steve Ditko), the Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, Captain America, and the Avengers — all of which have been turned into major features.
Lee left Marvel in 1972, but he retained the title of chair emeritus throughout his life. He continued to get producing credits and appeared in cameos in “Deadpool 2” and “Guardians of the Galaxy 2.”
Lee also became ambassador for the comicbook industry, reaching out to college campuses through personal appearances and interviews. He remained much in demand and creatively active into his 90s, creating new concepts for animation and TV.
Born Stanley Lieber, Lee was raised by Jewish immigrant parents in New York City. Through his uncle, the brother-in-law of comicbook publisher Martin Goodman, Lee became an assistant at Timely Comics, which eventually became Marvel.