Stan Lee, the legendary Marvel Comics writer, died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 95. Lee, born Stanley Lieber, started working in comics in 1939 and went on to create or co-create many of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes, including Spider-Man, X-Men, Black Panther, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and more. He became Marvel’s publisher in 1972 and later served as an executive producer for many of the company’s blockbuster film adaptations.
Lee’s cause of death has not been announced. He is survived by his daughter J.C Lee and brother Larry Lieber. Lee’s longtime wife Joan died last June. Earlier this summer, Lee and his daughter earned a restraining order against the writer’s former manager, citing allegations of elder abuse. “My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man,” J.C. told TMZ, who first reported Lee’s passing.
