The creator of Marvel Comics died early this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in California. Here's what we know about the author.
When did Stan Lee die?
Lee died in hospital after falling ill at his home in the Hollywood Hills, his devastated daughter confirmed today.
He had suffered from ill health in recent months including pneumonia and heart problems.
Lee is survived by his daughter J.C – while his wife of 69 years, Joan, died in 2012.
Speaking to TMZ, J.C said: "My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man."
The comic book icon was 95 years old, having been born in 1922 in New York City to Romanian immigrants.
He was originally called Stan Lieber, but changed his surname name to 'Lee' at the start of his career. He began working as an office assistant, then writer and interim editor in the late 1930s and early 1940s for Timely Comics, who eventually became known as Marvel Comics.
In the early 1960s his boss at the company asked him to come up with a series that could compete with rival DC Comics' hit title Justice League of America.
Lee decided to do away with some of the usual superhero conventions – after encouragement from his wife Joan Lee, who he was married to from 1947 before she passed away in 2017 – and, working with artist Jack Kirby, he created the Fantastic Four in 1961, including Hulk, Spider Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and the X-Men.
The characters proved very popular, and he was promoted to editorial director and publisher in 1972. At a later point he moved to the West Coast to head Marvel's expansion into TV and films.
Why was he in hospital earlier this year?
In February Stan was rushed to hospital due to shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat.
A spokesperson for Stan said at the time: "He is doing well and feeling good, he is staying there for a few days for some check ups as a safety precaution."
In 2017 he cancelled two major convention appearances due to illness, but has never revealed why.
It appears he received regular visits from nurses to his Hollywood home – in December 2017 he was accused in a lawsuit of sexual assault on his carers.
What's his most famous work?
Lee created the Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Spider Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Iron Man, Thor and the X-Men.
Stan led Marvel Comic's growth from a small publishing house to a multimedia corporation when he moved to California in 1981.
He was behind a number of film adaptions for the company, including X-Men in 2000, Spider Man in 2002, The Avengers in 2012 and Thor: Ragnorak in 2017.
Between 1989 and 2017, the writer has made cameo appearances in all the Marvel films, playing the role of everything from a postman to a security guard and hot dog seller.
In 2008 he received the National Medal of Arts from George W. Bush.
What was his net worth?
Stan has worked for Marvel Comics for 65 years, going from office assistant to president and chairman.
As of May 2017 his net worth was estimated to be $50 million, according to the site Celebrity Net Worth.
Despite being behind some of the most popular film characters of all time, in 2012 Stan revealed that he doesn't see a share of the profits from the Marvel movies.
His daughter, actress and producer Joan Celia, 67, is likely to inherit his vast wealth after the death of her mother from a stroke last year. She is Stan's only surviving child after another daughter, Jan, died three days after she was born in 1953.
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