Spike Lee Mistaken for Stan Lee by NZ Paper

8:53 PM PST 11/13/2018

by


Pip Bulbeck

The Gisborne Herald mistakenly declared Sipke Lee’s death next to a photo of the Marvel universe creator after his passing this week

A New Zealand newspaper became globally famous for all the wrong reasons after it announced director Spike Lee’s death next to an image of Stan Lee on its front page on Tuesday. 

Text in a photo box on the front page banner of the Gisborne Herald next to an image of Stan Lee read: “‘Characters first, superheroes next’: Spike Lee dies at 95”. 

Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel Comics, passed away aged 95 this week. 

The error, picked up by Twitter users and media outlets including Fox News and Huffington Post, had Spike Lee declaring that he was well and truly alive. 

The BlacKkKlansman director quickly took to Instagram to announce: “God Bless Stan Lee. Me? Not Yet. And Dat’s Da “I’m Still A Live, And Strivin'” Truth,Ruth. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF.”

While the Gisborne Herald, one of just one of four independently owned newspapers in New Zealand, acknowledged the error on its website Wednesday, editors didn’t offer up an apology, instead they reported on the paper’s new-found infamy. 

“International spotlight on Gisborne Herald after headline gaffe” read the headline to an article on Wednesday.  “The Gisborne Herald achieved international infamy overnight with a front page error,” it said, adding “one of the many who commented on Spike’s post mentioned that Stan Lee would be laughing about this”.