Paul Reubens, who was best known for his portrayal of Pee-Wee Herman, died at age 70 after a private battle with cancer…
Paul Reubens — a beloved character actor best known for his portrayal as Pee-Wee Herman — died at the age of 70 after a private battle with cancer.
A post made on Reubens’ Instagram account noted that he had been battling cancer for the past six years before passing away. Reubens included a message of his own to followers and friends.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens wrote. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Reubens’ career first launched in the 1970s where he worked with an improvisational comedy troupe as well as starring as a stage actor. Over the years, he developed the character Pee-Wee Herman, which he eventually used as the centerpiece for a stage show that sold out for five consecutive months.
That led to Reubens getting an HBO special and he continued portraying the cult favorite character — even going as far as appearing in public dressed as Pee-Wee Herman and doing interviews in character as well.
In 1985, Reubens teamed up with 25-year-old filmmaker Tim Burton for the movie “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” which was a critical and commercial success that led to him transitioning into his own television series called “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” that ran from 1986 to 1990.
The popular kids series launched a lot of careers with actors like Laurence Fishburne, Natasha Lyonne and Jimmy Smits all appearing on the series alongside Reubens.
Reubens decided to end “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” but then in 1991, his image was tarnished after he was arrested on charges of indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Florida. The scandal led to Reubens effectively ending his run as Pee-Wee Herman, although he continued to receive support from friends and fans from around the world and he eventually reprised the character years later.
Beyond his role as Pee-Wee Herman, Reubens was also a veteran character actor in numerous films including his appearance in the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie where he starred alongside Kristy Swanson, Rutger Hauer and Luke Perry. Swanson paid tribute to her co-star on Instagram in a heartfelt post stating “I’m really trying to process this but just can’t … my heart hurts too much.”
Burton, who launched his career working alongside Reubens in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” continued working with him in future projects as well including his appearance in “Batman Returns.” The famed director credited Reubens with basically giving him a career after opting to work with him as a director with no feature film experience prior to that movie.
“I’ll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career,” Burton wrote. “It would not have happened without his support. He was a great artist. I’ll miss him.”
Lyonne, who made numerous appearances on “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” also paid tribute to Reubens on Monday.
“Love you so much, Paul,” Lyonne wrote. “One in all time. Thank you for my career & your forever friendship all these years & for teaching us what a true original is.”
Love you so much, Paul. One in all time. Thank you for my career & your forever friendship all these years & for teaching us what a true original is. ♥️♥️???? #PaulReubens #PeeWeeHerman ♥️ pic.twitter.com/GMcBaEgWix
— natasha lyonne (@nlyonne) July 31, 2023
Numerous other friends and colleagues paid tribute to Reubens, which you can see below:
