Paul Reubens, who left an indelible mark on American pop culture as the character Pee-Wee Herman, has died at the age of 70.
The announcement was made on the Pee-Wee Herman Instagram Monday afternoon, saying that the actor-comedian had passed away Sunday night from cancer.
The post included a message from Reubens that said "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the past six years. 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."
- Paul Reubens was born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York on August 27th, 1952.
- After attending the California Institute of the Arts, Reubens pursued a career in comedy in the late 70s, making multiple appearances on The Gong Show. In 1980 he then joined the improv the troup The Groundlinings.
- The Pee-wee Herman character started at The Groundlings in 1978, and fellow Groundlinings member Phil Hartman helped Reubens develop the character. That developed into a stage show in Los Angeles called The Pee-wee Herman Show that ran from 1981 to 1984
- Reubens and Hartman wrote a script for a Pee-Wee film and tapped Tim Burton as the director. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure became a moderate hit, grossing six-times its $7-million budget in 1985.
- The film's success led to a kid's show on CBS called Pee-wee's Playhouse, which ran from 1986 to 1991.
- In July 1991, Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida, causing major damage to his career.
- In the late '90s he started acting under the Reubens name, appearing in such films as Mystery Men and Blow. That lead to a second career as a TV and film actor.
- In 2002 Reubens was charged with misdemeanor possession of obscene material improperly depicting a child under the age of 18 in sexual conduct after police searched his home and found vintage photographs of teenagers in his massive collection of erotica. Reubens denied the charges and later pled guilty to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity charge.
- In 2010, he brought the character to Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show. And In 2016 Reubens co-wrote and starred in the Netflix original film Pee-wee's Big Holiday.