Greetings Space Cadets, Sad news today as Joan Lee, Wife of Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee, Passes Away at 93. Joan Lee suffered a stroke earlier this week, after which she was hospitalised. She died this morning, surrounded by family.

Joan Lee married Stan Lee on December 5, 1947. The two met as the result of a blind date. After moving to the United States from England, Joan, then a hat model, met Stan, then a struggling writer, when a friend set Stan up on a date with a friend of Joan’s. When Stan went to meet his date, it was Joan who showed up at the door instead of his intended date. Stan took Joan out to lunch. The couple were married for 69 years.

Stan Lee is a comic book writer famous for creating, alongside numerous artist collaborators, many of Marvel Comics’ most popular superheroes. Stan Lee frequently appears in the movie adaptations of these comic book franchises; his cameos having become a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Stan Lee has credited Joan with helping him create the Fantastic Four team right before he planned on quitting Marvel Comics. Joan reportedly convinced Stan to write a comic he was proud of before leaving the publisher. That comic ended up being Fantastic Four, the characters of which endure in comic and movie form to this day.