Norman Lee Marvel, A talented artist for Marvel Comics who disappeared while snorkeling in the Cayman Islands is now presumed dead, authorities said.
Police have called off the search for Norman Lee, a 47-year-old artist who worked for Marvel Comics on blockbuster titles such as “X-Men” and the “Avengers.”
Lee and his wife were snorkeling on Thursday about 250 yards off the eastern coast of Grand Cayman when they were separated in the water, authorities said.
His wife returned to shore, but Lee hasn’t been seen since.
Royal Caribbean Police Services led a massive search, scouring the sea with rescue divers, boats and helicopters.Searchers had given up hope of finding Lee alive by Saturday, and officials now say even finding a body is improbable.
The powerful currents make it “unlikely that we will make any recovery at this stage,” Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks said.Lee, who lived in Weymouth, Mass., with wife Jan Lee, joined Marvel nearly two decades ago and started out working on Wolverine panels.
He had also worked for DC Comics on the “Supergirl” and “Starman.”
It was his job to ink in the final lines on the iconic characters.
Lee was also a powerfully built former college fencer at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth — something that gave friends and family hope he had somehow survived.“He's a very strong man,” longtime friend Bob Shaw told WMUR TV. “If anyone can survive it, it’s Norman. So I hold out hope at the moment."
Friends and fans filled his Facebook page with heartbreaking remembrances, pictures and calls for prayers throughout the search.
“He was a great guy, and I really pray that by some miracle he’s alive somewhere somehow,” one wrote. “Either way, Godspeed Norman.”
Police have called off the search for Norman Lee, a 47-year-old artist who worked for Marvel Comics on blockbuster titles such as “X-Men” and the “Avengers.”
Lee and his wife were snorkeling on Thursday about 250 yards off the eastern coast of Grand Cayman when they were separated in the water, authorities said.
His wife returned to shore, but Lee hasn’t been seen since.
Royal Caribbean Police Services led a massive search, scouring the sea with rescue divers, boats and helicopters.Searchers had given up hope of finding Lee alive by Saturday, and officials now say even finding a body is improbable.
The powerful currents make it “unlikely that we will make any recovery at this stage,” Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks said.Lee, who lived in Weymouth, Mass., with wife Jan Lee, joined Marvel nearly two decades ago and started out working on Wolverine panels.
He had also worked for DC Comics on the “Supergirl” and “Starman.”
It was his job to ink in the final lines on the iconic characters.
Lee was also a powerfully built former college fencer at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth — something that gave friends and family hope he had somehow survived.“He's a very strong man,” longtime friend Bob Shaw told WMUR TV. “If anyone can survive it, it’s Norman. So I hold out hope at the moment."
Friends and fans filled his Facebook page with heartbreaking remembrances, pictures and calls for prayers throughout the search.
“He was a great guy, and I really pray that by some miracle he’s alive somewhere somehow,” one wrote. “Either way, Godspeed Norman.”
