Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee  passes away aged 95 after battling illness

Stan Lee has passed away at the age of 95.

The co-founder of Marvel Comics had been in declining health for the past year, and there had been a number of battles regarding who would inherit his $70 million fortune.

An ambulance was called to lee’s home in the Hollywood Hills early Monday and he was rushed to Cedars-Sinai according to TMZ.

He died shortly after arriving at the medical facility. 

Lee is survived by his daughter and only child Joan Celia, known as ‘J.C.’ 

His wife Joan died in July of last year after suffering complications from a stroke. The pair had been married for 70 years at the time of her death.

Lee was also a veteran, and his final tweet was sent out by his team on Sunday and commemorated his time in the service with a photo of the beloved comic-book creator in his uniform during World War II. 

Superhero: Stan Lee (above) passed away on Monday at the age of 95 after being rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles

Lee rose to fame in 1961 when he turned Timely Comics, where he was started out in the industry as an assistant, into Marvel Comics.

That change came about in the 1960s, and Lee then proceeded to oversee the creation of many of the iconic superheroes people around the world know and love to this day. 

The Incredible Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Spiderman and Captain America were just a few of the many superhuman, and super flawed, characters crated by Lee and artist Jack Kirby. 

The relationship between Lee and Marvel had grown contentious in his final months however, and in May he filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against the company.

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleged that POW! Entertainment CEO Shane Duffy and co-founder Gill Champion failed to fully disclose to Lee details of the firm’s 2017 sale to Camsing International.

Lee said that the company took advantage of him at a time when he was despondent over the death of his wife Joan and suffering from macular degeneration, a condition affecting the eyes.

As a result, he was duped into signing an agreement giving away the rights to his image and likeness states the complaint. 

Lee also argued that he was unable to read the document due to his eye condition and suggested the signature on the paperwork was not his own.

The comic-book legend was still a big part of the Marvel universe until his death though, making a cameo in every Marvel Studios film since 1993, with his most recent appearance being in Venom, which has proven to be yet another blockbuster.

That film, released in early October, had grossed $674 million at the worldwide box office as of Sunday on a $100 million budget.

Lee also served as an executive producer on these titles, which helped boost his fortune in a very big way in recent years.

In fact, in the past 10 years alone, Marvel Studios has released 20 films in the Marvel universe which have made over $17 billion at the box office.

This has easily earned it the title of the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk