Marvel Legend Stan Lee Was A Victim In His Final Days, Reveals REELZ Documentary
June 25 2021, Published 10:13 a.m. ET
Comic book legend Stan Lee was often touted as the "creative genius" whose original characters launched the multi-billion-dollar Marvel movie franchise.
On the surface, he led a charmed life well into his 90s, working on new characters and doing his famous cameos in over 60 Hollywood comic blockbusters.
But where he shined creatively, he lacked in money-handling, business savviness, character judgment and just plain luck.
One of the worst financial decisions Lee ever made was when he traded up his future movie points for a measly $10 million payout from Marvel; meaning, when the Spider-Man and Iron Man franchises brought in billions of dollars, not a dime went to Stan.
But it was in his final days that the late icon was victimized the most, reveals new REELZ documentary Stan Lee: Life, Death & Money, and RadarOnline.com's got an exclusive sneak peek.
"Things had been weird in Stan Lee's life for a while, but in 2018, they [got] really weird," says pop culture insider Michael Pagnotta.
In 2017, his beloved wife, Joan Lee, had left him a vulnerable widower.
At the time, Lee was "hard of hearing, could "not read or drive" and was getting "easily confused." As estate lawyer Danielle Mayoras puts it, he was "ripe to be taken advantage of."
It was months before he died, and he had contracted pneumonia. A very frail Stan decided to file a lawsuit against Jerry Olivarez for fraud and elder abuse.
Mayoras recalls Olivarez going from claiming he was a florist to being a publicist and then finally assuming the position of Lee's caregiver.
The lawsuit accused Jerry of writing himself a $300,000 check and buying an $850,000 condominium using misappropriated funds.
Olivarez also allegedly obtained a vial of Lee's blood "in order to create some sort of DNA, one-of-a-kind, Stan Lee autograph."
"Now, that's not only just weird," says entertainment journalist Kiyra Lynn, "it's creepy."
There was also Keya Morgan, who was accused of isolating the elderly star and embezzling an estimated $5 million worth of his assets.
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After Lee died in November of 2018 at the age of 95, Morgan took off, leaving Stan's only child, JC Lee, to hunt down the money she claims was stolen from her father's $50 million estate.
Stan Lee: Life, Death & Money premieres Saturday, June 26 at 9 PM ET/PT on REELZ.
Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com.
