Stan Lee, Marvel’s architect, dead at 95
Nov 12, 2018, 12:19 PM | Updated: 12:22 pm
Photo credit: Ken Uzquiano/CNN
LOS ANGELES — An attorney for the family of Stan Lee, the architect of the contemporary comic book and co-creator of many legendary characters including Spider-Man, confirm the Marvel giant has died at the age of 95.
FILE – In this April 11, 2012, file photo,Stan Lee arrives at the premiere of “The Avengers” in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
Lee would have turned 96 on Dec. 28. Born in New York in 1922, the name on his birth certificate was Stanley Martin Lieber. He shortened it to Stan Lee when he began writing.
In 1939, Lee was hired as an office assistant at Timely Comics, becoming an interim editor during the 1940s and also serving in the Army domestically as an illustrator and writer.
Eventually, Timely became Marvel, and in the 1960s, Lee was tapped to help create a franchise for the company that could compete with DC’s “Justice League of America.” Thus, with artist and co-creator Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four were born in 1961. Other beloved characters, including the Hulk, Spider-Man, and the X-Men followed.
In 1972, Lee was promoted and became Marvel’s editorial director and publisher. More recently, he has served as chairman emeritus and has helped oversee the company’s film franchise.
Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Stan Lee’s daughter, says the iconic writer was declared dead Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
