The creator of the most popular Marvel Comics superheroes that became mythic figures in pop culture with soaring success at the movie box office Stan Lee died at the age of 95 on Monday. He was the man who dreamed up Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Panther and various other loved characters.
“He felt an obligation to his fans to keep creating,” his daughter J.C. Lee said in a statement. “He loved his life and he loved what he did for a living. His family loved him and his fans loved him. He was irreplaceable.”
His daughter did not mention the circumstances of his death, however, some celebrity news website stated that an ambulance was called to his Hollywood Hills home early Monday and that he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
As a writer and editor, Stan Lee was key to the success of Marvel into a comic book titan in the 1960s when, in collaboration with artists such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he created superheroes who would enthrall generations of young readers.
He was also known for his cameo roles in most Marvel films, pulling a girl away from falling debris in 2002’s “Spider-Man” and serving as an emcee at a strip club in 2016’s “Deadpool.”
“Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created,” Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of Walt Disney, said in a statement. “The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart.”
His creations included web-slinging teenager Spider-Man, the muscle-bound Hulk, mutant outsiders The X-Men, the close-knit Fantastic Four and the playboy-inventor Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man. Spider-Man is one of the most successfully licensed characters ever.
Stan Lee was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest government award for creative artists in 2008.