Joan Lee, Wife Of Comics Legend Stan Lee, Dies At Age 93

Lee's longtime publicist Dawn Miller confirmed the statement's authenticity when contacted by The Associated Press.

No additional details were provided, and the statement requested privacy.

Stan Lee co-created numerous Marvel Comics superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported Joan Lee's death, recounted the couple's first meeting in a story last year. It said Lee met his future wife while trying to meet another woman for a date in New York. The couple was married in December 1947 and had two daughters, one of whom died days after being born.

The 94-year-old Lee has credited his wife with supporting him early in his career, when he was trying to create superheroes that he and others could care about.

"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," Marvel wrote in a statement.