The wife of Marvel Comics legend died on Thursday, July 6 in Los Angeles after reportedly hospitalized due to a stroke.
- Jul 7, 2017
AceShowbiz - Joan Lee, the wife of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, died on Thursday, July 6 in Los Angeles. Joan reportedly had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke earlier this week. She was 93.
"I can confirm the sad news that Joan Lee passed away this morning quietly and surrounded by her family," a spokesperson for the family said in a statement. "The family ask that you please give them time to grieve and respect their privacy during this difficult time."
Marvel Entertainment mourned the passing of Joan Lee. "We are so saddened to hear about the loss of Joan Lee. We lost a member of the Marvel family today and our thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and his daughter Joan in this difficult time," it said in a statement.
Marvel mourns the passing of Joan Lee. Full statement: https://t.co/Fe9dqFHQuA pic.twitter.com/zGsw3pU7iw
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 7, 2017
The former British hat model and Stan were married for 69 years after tying the knot on December 5, 1947. They share two children together, Joan Celia (J.C.) and Jan, who died three days after her birth.
During Stan's 75th anniversary in comics, Stan recounted his and Joan's first meeting. The pair had such an unexpected meeting when Stan was supposed to take her friend, Betty, on a blind date. "So I went up to this place. Betty didn't answer the door. But Joan answered, and she was the head model. I took one look at her--and she was the girl I had been drawing all my life. And then I heard the English accent. And I'm a nut for English accents!" he explained.
"She said, 'May I help you?' And I took a look at her, and I think I said something crazy like, 'I love you.' I don't remember exactly. But anyway, I took her to lunch. I never met Betty, the other girl. I think I proposed to [Joan] at lunch," he added.
Prior to meeting Stan, Joan married an American soldier during World War II, though it ended in a divorce. After six-week stay in Reno, Nevada, a judge granted her divorce. An hour later, she married Stan in a room next door.
The couple returned to New York, where Stan worked at Marvel Comics forerunner Timely/Atlas Comics. Stan previously revealed that Joan was the inspiration for Fantastic Four project in 1961.
The pair later relocated to California in 1981 so Stan could work on developing Marvel TV and film projects. Joan lent her voice to two 1990s animated Marvel shows, "Fantastic Four" (Miss Forbes) and "Spider-Man" (Madame Web). She also made a cameo appearance in 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse".
