John Romita Sr, who played a key role in designing some of the most well-known Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Mary Jane Watson, died at the age of 93.

His son, John Romita Jr, confirmed his death in a Twitter post on Tuesday night. “I say this with a heavy heart,” Romita Jr wrote. “My father … is a legend in the art world and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family. He was the greatest man I ever met.”

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A chance meeting with a high school friend handed John Romita Sr the opportunity to work as a ghost artist for Timely Comics. The company later became known as Marvel Comics.

John Romita Sr is married to Virginia Bruno.

Who is Virginia Bruno?

John Romita Sr. is married to Virginia Bruno, who is his childhood sweetheart. They tied the knot in November 1952. She also worked on staff at Marvel from 1975 to 1996. They lived in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood until 1954. After that, they bought a house in the Queens neighborhood of Queens Village. They again changed houses, moving to Bellerose, New York, on Long Island some years later.

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Not much is known about her.

Romita and his wife had two sons, Victor and John Jr. (who was born on August 17, 1956). John Jr. followed in his footsteps to become a noted comic-book artist himself.