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Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman Actor, Dies at 70

Paul Reubens, the comedian/actor best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, has died. He was 70. Reubens’ death was confirmed in a post across his social media channels. The post…

Actor Paul Reubens as "Pee-Wee Herman" poses in the pressroom during of Spike TV's First Annual "Guys Choice" taped at Radford Studios on June 9, 2007 in Studio City, California.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Paul Reubens, the comedian/actor best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, has died. He was 70.

Reubens' death was confirmed in a post across his social media channels. The post says, in part, "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit."

Reubens posthumously shared a personal statement telling fans, "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years."

He continued, "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."

The post concludes, "Paul asked that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his late parents, Judy and Milton Rubenfeld, to Stand Up to Cancer or organizations involved in Dementia and Alzheimer's care, support and research."

The Pee-wee Herman character was created by Reubens and Phil Hartman when they were members of the Los Angeles-based sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings. The character evolved over time from a nightclub act into a popular children's character. In 1981, HBO aired The Pee-wee Herman Show, which was a stage show filmed at The Roxy in Los Angeles.

Of course, the Pee-wee Herman character really took off with the 1985 movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure, which served as the directorial debut of Tim Burton. The film evolved into a cult classic filled with numerous one-liners.

The following year, the children's show Pee-wee's Playhouse premiered on CBS as part of the network's Saturday morning lineup. The show famously featured Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson in recurring roles of Cowboy Curtis and Reba the Mail Lady. During its five-season run from 1986-1990, Pee-wee's Playhouse won 15 Emmy Awards. During the run of the series, Big Top Pee-wee, the second film featuring the character, was released in 1988.

Reubens, however, started to shelve the iconic character shortly after his infamous 1991 arrest at an adult theater in Sarasota, Fla. It would be another 15 years before Reubens appeared as Herman publicly, which led to renewed interest in the character. This led to a new version of The Pee-wee Herman Show, which eventually had a run on Broadway. Following the stage show, a new Pee-wee film, Pee-wee's Big Holiday, premiered on Netflix in March 2016.

The Pee-wee character dominated Reubens' career, but he has plenty of other acting credits to his name. Reubens notably appeared in 1992's Batman Returns and the Fox series Gotham where he played Elijah Van Dahl, the father of Batman villain the Penguin. He also appeared in 1999's Mystery Men, 2001's Blow and in a number of TV shows including Murphy BrownDirt, Ally McBeal, 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, The Blacklist and more.

Celebrity Deaths 2023: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost

We've already had to say goodbye to some big names this year in the worlds of entertainment and beyond.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the musicians, celebrities and other cultural figures we've lost so far in 2023.

Jeff Beck

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Guitar icon and two-time Rock &Roll Hall of Fame inductee.


Lola Mitchell

GettyImages-1390244719-e1672616905262-1.jpgJesse Grant/Getty Images for Republic Records

Gangsta Boo of Three 6 Mafia


Lisa Marie Presley

GettyImages-169991751-1-1.jpgChristopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall

Singer/songwriter and only child Elvis and Priscilla Presley.


Robbie Bachman

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Co-founding member/drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive


David Crosby

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Singer-songwriter best known for his work with the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young)


Jeremiah Green, drummer for Modest Mouse

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Drummer for Modest Mouse.


Anita Pointer

GettyImages-476586597.jpgMike Windle/Getty Images for VFC

Founding member of the Pointer Sisters.


Henry Grossman

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Celebrity/Beatles Photographer


Art McNally

GettyImages-1413288276.jpgNick Cammett/Getty Images

“Father of Instant Replay” in the NFL


Adam Rich

GettyImages-3441610.jpgStephen Shugerman/Getty Images

Child Star on ‘Eight Is Enough’


Gina Lollobrigida

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Actress, international sex symbol, photojournalist and politician.


Lynette Hardaway (L)

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"Diamond" of conservative media personalities "Diamond and Silk"


Carl Hahn, former head of Volkswagen that helped popularize the VW Beetle

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Former head of Volkswagen that helped popularize the VW Beetle.


Cindy Williams

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Actress best known for playing Shirley Feeney in the 1970s sitcom 'Laverne & Shirley.'


Burt Bacharach

GettyImages-1585546.jpgRobert Mora/Getty Images

Legendary songwriter who wrote hits for Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Jackie DeShannon, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield and more.


Raquel Welch

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Actress and iconic sex symbol of the 1960s.


David Jude Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove)

GettyImages-83094876.jpgBryan Bedder/Getty Images

One-third of the influential hip-hop group De La Soul


Kyle Jacobs

GettyImages-693608830-1.jpgRick Diamond/Getty Images

Songwriter and husband of Kellie Pickler.


Charles Kimbrough

GettyImages-142902254-1.jpgGary Gershoff/Getty Images

Actor of stage, screen and television. Best known for playing Jim Dial on the hit CBS sitcom 'Murphy Brown.'


Bob Born

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Confectioner best known for inventing Peeps.


Bobby Hull

GettyImages-86525437.jpgJonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Hockey Hall of Famer best known for his 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.


Lloyd Morrisett

GettyImages-1192775530.jpgPaul Morigi/Getty Images

Co-creator of 'Sesame Street'


Jerry Blavat

GettyImages-83686150.jpgWilliam Thomas Cain/Getty Images

Iconic Philadelphia DJ, "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce."


Tom Verlaine

GettyImages-79753175.jpgStephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Songwriter and guitarist from influential punk band Television.


Lisa Loring

GettyImages-756614.jpgLawrence Lucier/Getty Images

Actress best known for playing Wednesday Addams on ABC's 'The Addams Family' from 1964-1966.


Cody Longo

GettyImages-1020458004.jpgMike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV

Actor and singer/songwriter best known for his roles on 'Hollywood Heights' and 'Days of Our Lives.'


Tim McCarver

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MLB All-Star and two-time World Series Champion that went on to be a Hall of Fame broadcaster.


Sal Piro

GettyImages-106339019.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images for The Painted Turtle

Noted superfan of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'


Richard Belzer

GettyImages-166833953-1.jpgStephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Renowned stand-up comedian and actor best known for playing Det. John Munch on 'Homicide: Life on the Street' and 'Law & Order: SVU.'


Gary Rossington

GettyImages-932643198-1.jpgRick Diamond/Getty Images

Guitarist and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.


Lance Reddick

GettyImages-1162261357.jpgRich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

Actor best known for his roles on HBO's 'The Wire' and the 'John Wick' movie franchise.


Wayne Swinny

Wayne-Swinny_OdonnellMediaGroup.jpgO'Donnell Media Group

Founding member and guitarist for Saliva.


Keith Reid (L)

GettyImages-3063950.jpgMichael Stroud/Express/Getty Images

Procol Harum lyricist. Notably wrote the lyrics to "A Whiter Shade of Pale."


Seymour Stein

GettyImages-2240500.jpgFrank Micelotta/Getty Images

Iconic record executive who co-founded Sire Records and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.


Nora Forster

GettyImages-671349068.jpgNoam Galai/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Music promoter, wife of John Lydon (Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten) and mother to Arianna Forster (Ari Up from The Slits.)


Michael Lerner

GettyImages-80850567.jpgScott Gries/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Iconic character actor best known for his roles in the films 'Barton Fink,' 'Elf' and 'Newsies.'


Mary Quant

GettyImages-3165261.jpgKeystone/Getty Images

Famed British designer known as "The Mother of the Miniskirt."


Blair Tindall

GettyImages-459857008.jpgBrian Ach/Getty Images for Amazon Studios

Author of the 2005 memoir 'Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classic Music,' which was later adapted into an award-winning series for Amazon.


Barry Humphries (aka: Dame Edna)

GettyImages-1173724678.jpgLisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Australian actor best known as the personality of Dame Edna Everage.


Len Goodman

GettyImages-183946613-scaled-e1682350565697.jpgSimon Burchell/Getty Images

Renown British dance champion who was a longtime judge on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars.'


Harry Belafonte

GettyImages-3426950-1.jpgTerry Disney/Central Press/Getty Images

Legendary singer/actor who was also an integral figure in the civil rights movement.


Jerry Springer

GettyImages-51096066.jpgHulton Archive/Getty Images

Former politician turned notorious talk show host of 'The Jerry Springer Show.'

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights