Stan Leehasdied at the age of 95but his last few months of life were filled with turmoil.
While the co-creator of comic book icons like Spider-Man, Iron Man Thor and the X-Men catapulted Lee to fame and prestige, all was not easygoing for the businessman in the months leading up to his death.
Lee founded the production company in 2001 alongside its current CEO Shane Duffy and Gill Champion, whom he claimed in the complaint “conspired and agreed to broke a sham deal to sell POW! To a company in China and fraudulently steal [Lee’s] identity, name, image and likeness as a part of a nefarious scheme to benefit financially at Lee’s expense.”
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Lee’s death comes just under a year and a half after his wife Joan Lee died in July 2017 at 93. They had been married for 69 years at the time of her death.
Before his passing, the comic book creator claimed both of his ex-business partners took advantage of him while he was grieving the loss of his wife and claimed the two “knew about [his] diagnosis of advanced macular degeneration, which has left him unable to read or drive on his own since about 2015, and they prayed [sic] on his infirmities while he was in a state of disrepair.”
In October, Lee addressed claims that he was suffering from elder abuse at the hands of his daughter J.C.
The pair addressed the rumors in a dual interview in October, with Lee tellingThe Daily Beast, “There really isn’t that much drama.As far as I’m concerned, we have a wonderful life.”
“I’m pretty damn lucky. I love my daughter, I’m hoping that she loves me, and I couldn’t ask for a better life. If only my wife was still with us,” he said. “I don’t know what this is all about… We have occasional spats. But I have occasional spats with everyone.”
He added, “I’ll probably have one with you, where I’ll be saying, ‘I didn’t say that!’ But, that’s life.”
J.C., 68, added the accusations, which came from Lee’s business partner Keya Morgan, were totally false starting with Morgan’s timeline.
He claimed he had worked with Lee for 10 years but, “No. He was with him for six months — that period of time. And a year or two before,” J.C., short for Joan Celia, said.
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“As long as I’ve lived, I have never touched my mother, my father or a dog. Never,” she added.
Lee alsosuffered from a bout of pneumonia in Februaryand revealed his illness in a video on TMZ explaining he had to cancel several appearances due to his health.
“I have a little bout of pneumonia I’ve been fighting,” he said in the video. “But it seems to be getting better.”
In the video, a soft-spoken Lee sat on a couch as he addressed the camera.
“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. I miss your enthusiasm, I miss all your notes, all your photos and emails,” he said. “I want you to know that I still love you all.”
Lee said he was optimistic that the next time he’d address his fans he’d be better.
“Maybe I’ll have some of this pneumonia knocked down, and we can have some real fun over the internet. Until then, Excelsior,” he concluded.
source: people.com
