The death of the only man in comics as iconic as his super-powered heroes, Stan Lee, has brought out heartfelt tributes from those to whom he was more than the creator of Spider Man and the Hulk.
Many of the world's most successful people revealed their vulnerabilities as they thanked Lee, who died at the age of 95 on Monday, for creating the stories and characters that helped them through the toughest parts of their lives.
READ MORE: Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee dies aged 95
Artists, and not just those working in comic books, spoke of being inspired not only by his work as the head of Marvel - where he helped to create the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Black Panther and Doctor Strange - but the moral resilience shown by his complex and often flawed characters.
There were tributes from many of the thousands who literally owe their entire professional existence, and billion-dollar earnings, to those brainstorming sessions at the New York Marvel office in the 1960s.
Those who have known him in the past five decades, as he transformed from a writer to the public face of Marvel, gave their accounts of the man - giving a hint of both his easy charisma, and his playful irascibility.
But while Lee himself complained that there was never enough time on Earth to realize all of his creative plans, everyone else felt he lived through several lifetimes in one, and left a legacy that would be secure for centuries more.
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