Joan Lee, Wife And Muse Of Comic Book Legend Stan Lee, Has Died

LOS ANGELES, CA - Joan Lee, the longtime wife of comic-book legend Stan Lee, died Thursday in Los Angeles at age 93.

A representative for the Lee family told City News Service that Joan Lee "passed away this morning quietly and surrounded by her family. The family asks that you please give them time to grieve and respect their privacy during this difficult time."

No other details about her death were released.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported her death, Joan Lee suffered a stroke earlier this week and was hospitalized.

Stan and Joan Lee were married in December 1947 and they had two children, one of whom died three days after birth in 1953.

Stan Lee, 94, a legend in the comics industry, co-created Marvel Comics characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and X-Men.

Lee told The Hollywood Reporter last year that he met his wife by mistake when a cousin tried to set him up with a hat model named Betty in New York. But when Lee showed up at the hat store, Joan answered the door.

"I took one look at her -- and she was the girl I had been drawing all my life," Lee told THR. "And then I heard the English accent. And I'm a nut for English accents. 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."

Joan, however, was already married at the time, although unhappily. She wound up moving to Reno, and after establishing Nevada residency, she got a divorce, and married Stan Lee an hour later, THR reported.

City News Service; Photo: Stan Lee and wife Joan arrive at The Hollywood Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel October 18, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)