Stan Lee has revealed he is battling pneumonia, but insists he is "getting better".
The 95-year-old comic book legend – who is the founder of Marvel Comics – was rushed to hospital at the end of last month after suffering shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat, and he has now revealed that he’s spent the past month battling pneumonia, which is an inflammatory condition of the lungs.
In a video message recorded for his fans, Stan said: "Hiya heroes, this is Stan Lee. I haven’t been in touch with you lately, I had a little bought of pneumonia which I’m fighting, but it seems to be getting better."
Stan went on to thank his loyal supporters for always sticking by him, and insisted he would be fighting fit in no time as he misses connecting with his fans.
He continued in the video: "But I want you all to know I’m thinking of you, of course I always think of the fans, and I hope you’re all doing well. I miss you all, I miss your enthusiasm, I miss all the notes, and the photos, and the emails I used to get. I still get a lot of them. And I want you to know that I still love you all.
"I think that Marvel, and Spidey, and I had the best group of fans that any group in the world ever had, and I sure appreciate it. So let me know how you’re doing, I hope everything is going well for you. And I hope that next time we talk, I’ll be in ever better shape, maybe I’ll have some of the pneumonia knocked down and we can have some real fun over the internet. Until then, excelsior!"
The star spent the night in Cedars-Sinai hospital on January 31 as a "precaution", but it was soon revealed he was resting at home.
A spokesperson for Stan said at the time: "Stan is doing well and feeling good, he is staying there for a few days for some check ups as a safety precaution."
And Stan himself added when he left the hospital the following day: "All I really want to do is tell you that I’m feeling great."