Joan Lee, the wife of Marvel legend Stan Lee, passed away on Thursday at the age of 93. Upon her death, Marvel Entertainment and others paid their respects to Joan. Sending their condolences to the Lee family.
Joan played a huge role in the creation Marvel Comics. In 1961 Stan considered quitting the comic industry, but Joan encouraged him to write one more comic. She said: “why don’t you write one comic you are proud of?” That comic ended up being The Fantastic Four, and with the help of Jack Kirby, it was the first step to many of Lee’s creations.
Marvel Entertainment issued this statement regarding Joan’s passing:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and daughter. 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.”
Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment also issued a statement. Saying that they wish Stan and his family the best:
“Of all the great stories Stan Lee has to tell, the most touching is of the day he met Joan, the British model who would become his future wife. Instantly smitten, Stan proposed the first day of their meeting, beginning a beautiful, enviable life together for nearly seven decades. Everyone at DC is truly saddened to hear of the passing of Joan Lee and our hearts go out to Stan and his family in this time of loss.”
Director Kevin Smith became a close friend of the Lee’s and sent out this thoughtful statement. Smith talks about how, without Joan, we would have never gotten our modern mythology:
“He told us tales of heroes but Joan was Stan’s personal superhero – and without, her we never get our modern mythology. They say behind every great man is a great woman. In this case, the great woman was always standing right beside him. Joan and Stan were best friends for 70 years. My heart goes out to my hero Stan, his daughter JC, their right hand Max and anyone who ever met Joanie. Thank you, Marvel Muse. We’ll miss you Madame Web.”
Stan and Joan had two children. J.C. whose named after Joan was born in 1950. Three years later they had another child, Jan, but sadly she passed away a mere three days after being born. Stan and Joan were together for 69 years. Something most couples can only dream of. All though Joan is no longer with us, we will never forget the impact she had. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and his family.
Source: Marvel, DC, Kevin Smith
