On Monday, Nov. 12 the world collectively mourned as comic book legend Stan Lee’s death pulsed through their social media feeds. Lee was taken by ambulance from his California home to Cedar’s Sinai Medical Center Monday morning where he later died, a CNN article reports. Lee was 95.

“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it, they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain, you’re doing a good thing.”

-Stan Lee

Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922 in Manhattan New York where he would later base a majority of his comic creations storylines.

Lee is responsible for the conception or co-conception of numerous iconic characters. Characters such as Spiderman, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Black Panther, the X-Men and so much more.

For those who know me, they know that I’m a huge comic book fan. Throughout my life I’ve compiled a diverse collection of superhero merchandise, comics, and graphic novels.

I feel inclined to mention that I’m a bigger fan of DC Comics rather than Marvel, but only because I grew up on DC. The reasoning for my explanation is to express that Lees work was so influential that it crossed what comic fans call “dimensional barriers.” The famed artist was so influential that he is recognized by millions of comic fans as his creativity was not solely tied to Marvel.

I first heard the news of Lee’s passing in my Digital Storytelling class. When the notification popped up on my iPhone I legitimately let out a gasp that caused people around me to ask what was wrong.

The day that most comic fans have been dreading has finally arrived. One of the most important people in comic book history had passed away. I rushed a tweet as soon as I could.

Emotionally it was a major blow. As I worked through the tweets and prepared a statement asking the public for their opinions I received numerous texts from friends and family.  I felt as if a family member had passed away.

This was the reaction by most nerd culture lovers. As fans we were so invested in this man's life that we felt as if we were a part of it.

The same can be said by every Marvel actor who met the king of cameos. Numerous stars took to twitter following Lees passing expressing their condolences.

Lee has gained major momentum in popular culture in recent years thanks to his numerous cameo appearances in popular Marvel movies.

In his early life Lee always dreamed of writing the “Great American Novel” and pushed for this in his numerous writing jobs throughout New York City.

Lee graduated high school at the early age of 16 in 1939, a time when superheroes were fresh, and later went on to create his iconic comics which would eventually evolve into a hulking entertainment industry.

With great power comes great responsibility and Lee understood this better than most. This American literary artist understood that education and the ability to read changed lives for the better, thus sparking the inspiration for him to start his charity, The Stan Lee Foundation.