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Legendary creator and comics visionary Stan Lee has died. According to TMZ, Lee was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday morning and later died. His current cause of death is unknown.
Over the past year, Lee has had various health issues, including pneumonia and “vision problems,” according to TMZ.
Lee Was Diagnosed With Pneumonia in February 2018
This past February, Lee came down with pneumonia — an infection that causes inflammation in the air sacs in one or both lungs. The sickness can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly.
Thankfully, Lee was able to recover and had been feeling well enough to keep his fans in the loop. He posted the following message online:
“Hi, heroes. This is Stan Lee. I haven’t been in touch with you lately. I have a little bout of pneumonia I’ve been fighting, but it seems to be getting better. But I want you all to know I’m thinking of you—of course, I always think of the fans—and I hope you’re all doing well, and I miss you all,” he said. “I miss your enthusiasm. I miss all the notes and the photos and the e-mails that I used to get, and I still get a lot of them. I want you to know that I still love you all. I think that Marvel and Spidey and I have the best group of fans that any group in the world ever had, and I sure appreciate it. Let me know how you’re doing. I hope everything is going well for you, and I hope the next time we talk, I will be in even better shape. Maybe I’ll have some of this pneumonia knocked down and we can have some real fun over the internet.”
He Had a Pacemaker Put in at Age 90
Back in 2012, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker put in. A pacemaker is an artificial device that is implanted in the heart. It stimulates the heart muscle and regulates its contractions.
At the time, Lee released the following message to his fans, letting them know that he was doing okay.
“Attention, Troops! This is a dispatch sent from your beloved Generalissimo, directly from the center of Hollywood’s combat zone! Now hear this! Your leader hath not deserted thee! In an effort to be more like my fellow Avenger, Tony Stark, I have had an electronic pace-maker placed near my heart to [ensure] that I’ll be able to lead thee for another 90 years. But fear thee not, my valiant warriors. I am in constant touch with our commanders in the field and victory shall soon be ours. Now I must end this dispatch and join my troops, for an army without a leader is like a day without a cameo!”
He Is Survived by His Daughter, J.C.
Not only did Lee create comic characters such as Spider-Man and Black Panther, but he also made cameo appearances in all of the Marvel movies. His wife, Joan, died of complications from a stroke back in 2017. Lee is survived by his daughter, J.C.
“My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man,” J.C. told TMZ in a statement following her father’s passing.