By JOHN DALY
Rockers and entertainment figures paid tribute to comic book legend Stan Lee, creator of Black Panther, Spiderman and X-Men, who passed away Monday at 95.
On Lee’s official Twitter page, his famous signoff: ‘Excelsior!’ is written in white on black, along with his birth and death years.
Rock World Reeling from News of Lee’s Death
News of Lee’s death rocked the music world, which came to adopt Lee as one of its own. Heavy metal, rock, pop and alternative music all had a role in Lee’s productions.
Tributes for Stan Lee
Tributes came pouring in from all over the worlds of pop culture, entertainment and fandom when news of Lee’s death hit the airwaves.
Kirk Hammett of Metallica said “Stan Lee was a visionary and a pioneer. I owe him a lot for personally shaping my childhood fantasy worlds.”
In addition to Hammett, Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, Gene Simmons and Rob Zombie also posted words of admiration for Lee on their various social media accounts.
Rob Zombie and Stan Lee on Instagram:
Stan Lee Captured the Human Essence in Heroes
Much like his own demeanor, Lee captured in his characters a human essence and that resonated with fans and collaborators. Among his many creations are superheroes Black Panther, X-Men and Spiderman, each of which got legs on Hollywood’s silver screen and are multi-million dollar franchises.
Lee leaves behind a legacy that includes the creation of iconic superheroes and characters who saved the world thousands of times over, but who had human vulnerabilities.
Stan Lee Started at Marvel in 1939
Lee was born in New York to immigrant parents as Stan Lieber and grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was in the garment business.
He started at Marvel in 1939 doing odd jobs and running errands. Lee rose the ranks as he continued to build the legacies of characters like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Mighty Thor, but he built upon his own legacy as well.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served his country in the Signal Corps, where he wrote training manuals and films. His official title was “playwright.”
Stan Lee and Comical Cameos
Lee was also known for his trademark cameos in the films based on his characters. He often appeared as a bystander to a disaster or a mailman or man on the street. One of his most quoted lines is from Spiderman, when he tells Peter Parker “You know, I guess one person can make a difference … ‘Nuff said.”
Lee was rushed to Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles early Monday. Lee leaves behind a daughter, J.C., and a younger brother, Larry Lieber.
