Stan Lee announces he is battling pneumonia

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Comic book icon Stan Lee told TMZ he is battling pneumonia.

Lee, 95, explains in a video that he has had to cancel a number of recent appearances due to the illness.

"It seems to be getting better," he says.

"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, and I miss you all," Lee continued. "I miss your enthusiasm, I miss all your notes, all your photos and emails ... and I want you to know that I still love you all."

"Maybe I'll have some of this pneumonia knocked down, and we can have some real fun over the internet. Until then, excelsior," he concluded.

Lee was hospitalized earlier in February for an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath. He was released after one night and proclaimed that he was "feeling great."

The Marvel Comics writer turned 95 in December and was given birthday wishes on Twitter from Avengers stars such as Chris Evans (Captain America) and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk).

Lee, a former chairman of Marvel Comics, is known for writing and co-creating Marvel's staple of iconic superheroes including the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men with Jack Kirby, and Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Steve Ditko, among others.

He credited his late wife, Joan Lee, who died in July at the age of 93, for helping inspire the Fantastic Four, Lee's first hit comic book at Marvel.

Lee is also known for making cameo appearances in a number of Marvel films and was most recently seen in Black Panther, based on another character he co-created with Kirby.